The story I originally heard being handed down was that there were three Tanur brothers in Lithuania, one of whom, Michael (Miguel), went to Mexico, one of whom, Hillel, went to South Africa, and one of whom, Yehoshua (Hyman), went to the United States.  We now see a slightly different family tree. 

How far back does the Tanur surname go?  The surname tree - as far as i have uncovered - goes back to Tanchum, who gave birth to a son Avraham in 1779, and lived in Latvia. Abraham ben Tanchum was still living in Latvia, in House #13, in 1834.  There was also a Tanur branch in Lithuania , also dating back to 1834,  We can trace our known Tanurs back to:  Yehoshua, b. 1780:  Yehoshua (and his wife) had 3 children whom I've been able to identify: 

• Michael (b. 1810),

• Shalom, and

• Yehuda David.

Michael

Michael married Feyge (nee?) and their children were:

• Yitzchak (Ayzik) b. 1831.  Yitzchak married Ginda (b. appx. 1831). 

• Leah b. 1838

• Tanchum b. 1841

• Gita b. 1845

• Chana b. 1859

In 1858, Yehoshua and his wife, their son Michael and his wife Feyge, and their children Yitchak and his wife, and Leah, Tanchum, Gita and Chana, all lived together, in Raseiniai, as "Petit Bourgeouis".

Shalom

Shalom married Chaya (nee?) b. appx. 1813 and their (known) children were:

• Devorah b. 1835

• Yehoshua (Ovsey) b. 1838 or 1840

• Feyga (b. 1851)

Yehuda David (Yudel David)

Yehuda David married Riva (b. 1822) and their (known) children were:

• Liba b. 1840

• Leah b. 1842

• Feyge b. 1848

• Fruma Elka b. 1834 - a niece (parents?)

In 1890, Sholum and his wife Chaya, his brother Iudel David and his wife Riva, Sholum's children Devorah and Feyga, and Iudel David's daughters Liba, Leah and Feyga, and his neice Fruma Elka, were all living together, in Raseiniai.

We are going to follow Tanchum's family for the time being:

Tanchum had children:

possibly Tsadok, b. 1859

possibly Tsvi Hirsch.  b. 1865

Yehoshua (Hyman) b. 1868?

Ber (Dov Ber?)(Bernard), b. 1870

Chaim Hillel, (Hillel) b. 1873

Yehoshua immigrated to the USA (Pittsburgh), Hillel and Dov Ber (Bernard) immigrated to South Africa.   Tsadok and Tsvi Hirsch remained in Lithuania.  

Tsadok remained in Lithuania, but his son Michael immigrated to Mexico.  Tsvi Hirsch's son Abram immigrated to South Africa in 1928. Two daughters of Tsvi Hirsch - Ida Tanur, my grandmother, and Sarah Tanur, my father's aunt - immigrated to western Pennsylvania, USA. In Lithuania, they all had lived in Raseiniai district. (See Skuodas and Raseiniai, below.)

TSVI HIRSH (Harry) Tanur   (b. 1864? - 1936)

"Tsvi Hirsh" shows up as the patriarch of a few families (see Howard's FT and see my FT) and we are trying to work through his place in the family tree.  Tsvi Hirsch's parents were:  his father: Tanchum  and his mother: Yehudis, daughter of Hirsch and Hinde Berman. We have records (from JewishGen) that Hirsch, son of Tanchum and Yehudis, died in 1936 in Raseiniai of pneumonia at the age of 72, and that Yehudit, daughter of Hirsh and Hinde Berman, died in 1925 in Raseinai of Marasmus, at the age of 87.

Tsvi Hirsh Tanur is one of the siblings who remained in Lithuania.  In Lithuania, Tsvi Hirsh married Anna Tillie Myers.  (In 1922, when my grandmother Ida (Chana Henyia) Tanur filled out her request for a marriage license to Joseph Boris, Tsvi Hirsh was still alive but her mother was deceased.).  My grandmother Ida and great-aunt Sarah were their daughters.  We have no information about any other siblings.  (From Howard, we have a photo of Tsvi Hirsch, his wife, 2 daughters and 2 sons, one of whom was Shalom (Schave), and we think this is the same Tsvi Hirsch, possibly with a second wife, but cannot confirm this. Was there another Tsvi Hirsch?)

Tsvi Hirsch and Anna Tillie (nee Myers)'s known children were:

• IDA (Chaya Henia) (b. 1892 - April 24, 1930) and

• SARAH.  (b. March, 1896 - 1984, RIP)

• possibly Moshe

• possibly Yosef

• possibly Channa

After my grandmother Ida (Tanur) arrived in the U.S. in 1910, she went to live with her uncle Hyman Tanur, in Expedit, PA.  1) Ida married Joseph Boris in 1922 in Philadelphia, PA. 

1) Ida (nee Tanur) and Joseph Boris had three children: Theona (Chana Tuba or Chana Tova), Jerome (Yaakov Moshe), and Betty.  2) Sarah married Abe King. They had one daughter, Toby.

The next generations:  1) Theona married to George Salkowitz (d. 2009), and their son is Joseph (Joe).  2) Jerome married Florence nee Buntman, and their children are Lynne, Jane (that's me) and Anthony (Tony).  3) Betty married and divorced; she has one daughter, Karen Winter-Lein.  2)  Tobey ( d. 1999) married Jack Seidman.  Their daughter is Gail.

1) Lynne's son is Neil (Boris).  2) In 2000, Jane married Phil Hanser and they live in Newton, MA.

ABRAM Tanur

Avram (1912 - July 2, 1960) emigrated from Skuodas to South Africa in 1928.  Abram's Hebrew name is Abraham bar Hirsh Tsvi.   Abram had a brother, Shalom (Schave), who emigrated to Buenos Aires, one other brother (name unknown) and at least two other sisters.  (My grandmother Ida and her sister Sarah were possibly the firstborn of his children and the first to emigrate; we don't know if they are siblings or cousins.)

Avram married Doris (nee Norton (Nossick) 1921-1982), their children are Sharon and Howard (b. 1959)  Both Sharon and Howard live in London, England.

Howard is married to Julie and they live in Great Britain.

SHALOM (Schave) Tanur

Shalom (see above) went to Buenos Aires, Argentina and changed his name to Schave.  He married (?).  Their children were:

•  Lina,

• Yehuda Lev (Leopoldo/Leon) (1902 - 1939), and

• Yaakov (Jacobo) (1902 - 1960).  Yaakov married (?). Their son was Enrique ( - 1972).  Enrique married and divorced Nelida Gubkin; Norberto is their son.

YEHOSHUA (Hessel) (Hyman) Tanur ( August 11, 1868 - March 27, 1930)

Hyman Tanur's Hebrew name (found on his gravestone) was Yehoshua ben Tanchum, indicating that his father's name was Tanchum. Hyman Tanur was born on August 16^th, 1868, in Rossein, Russia., information provided from The Petition for Naturalization for Hyman Tanur, signed April 7^th, 1910.  Hyman immigrated in 1902 (arr. May 31) and went to Pittsburg, PA, to be near his in-laws, the Bretts.

Hyman Tanur married Rachel (Rachel Rivka bat R. Akiva).  Hyman and Rachel's children are:

• SAM (Chaim) born in Schedlova, Kovno, Russia (Lithuania), (Mar. 6, 1893 - June, 1980)

• SAUL (Solomon/Shlomo) (born in Shedlova, Kovno, Russia (Lithuania), (Feb. 22, 1895 - October, 1976)

• JACOB (Jack) (born in Pittsburgh or Altoona, PA) (Nov. 24 or October 19, 1903 - April 1978)

• FANNY (born in Barriesboro, PA)(Aug. 2, 1906 - 19xx)

• IDA (born in Pittsburgh, PA) (Feb. 12, 1907 - ?, RIP).

Sam (Chaim) married Fanny.  Saul (Solomon) married Katie (b. Sept. 1902 d. May 1974).  Jack (Jacob) married Virginia (Vinnie nee Rosenbloom/Ronay; 1916 - Jan .15, 2004).

The next generations:  1) Jack and Vinnie's children are Janice and Ruthie.  Janice m. Barney Dunn.  Their son is Kenneth.  2) Sam and Fanny's children are Mickey (Marilyn) ( - 2010), Joel, and Rae.  3) Ida's children are Jody.

HILLEL Tanur  (1880 - Sept. 1, 1963)

Hillel Tanur was also born in Raseiniai.   His father was Tanchum.  His Hebrew name, found on his gravestone, was Hillel ben R. Tanchum).

Hillel emigrated to South Africa in 1897 and settled in Johannesburg.  He petitioned for naturalization in 1904.  Later records indicated he made multple trips between SA and Lithuania.  One such subsequent trip was on the Prinzessin arr. 20 June, 1907, departing Hamburg, arr. Antrwerpen, South Africa. 

Hillel married Rachel (nee Davidov, 1879 - 1921), also from Rasseiniai.   Hillel and Rachel's children are:
Soma (Jayne Dora) (1907-1992)
Fanny Rebecca (1910 - RIP)
Aaron Edward (Ted), (b. 1913),
Leah (Lily) (1915 - RIP) 

The next generations:  1) Jayne married Jack West.  2)  Ted ( - March 21, 2008, RIP) married Xena (Devorah bas Chaim, 1919 - 1983, RIP); after Xena's death, Teddy married Tammy.  2) Fanny married Tom Goldstein;  Fanny married Alfred Aaron Abrahams.  3) Lily married Mike Nomis.

1) Jayne and Jack West's son is Ian.  2) Ted and Zena's children are Adriene (1944 - 2001) and Ronnie.  3) Fanny and Alf Abrahams' son is Ricky (currently in Australia).  4) Lily and Mike Nomis' children are Rochelle (1939 - 1949), Joan (b. 1944), __ and __.

TSADOK Tanur

Tsadok Tanur married Leah (nee ?) in Lithuania.  In 1914 Tsodyk ("Codikas") Tanur was living in Raseiniai, at Dominikanskaya Street*; his occupation was recorded as "Real Estate Owner".  In 1926, Tsadok and Leah were living in Kaunas, at Ukmerges Str., 9*. His son Meir Leib was drafted into the army (at the age of 22).  The known children of Tsadok and Leah were

• Michael (b. 1897) and

• Meir Leib (b. 9 March, 1898)

• Genekh  (b.1899),

• Boruch (b. 1903 d. July 21,1928).

In 1926, Genekh married Ginda Leia Levit  (b. 1899 in Ponevezys, daughter of Shmuel and Rokhal (nee Levit) in Ponevezys in 1926.  Genekh emigrated to Mexico but later returned to Lithuania, and to Skuodas, where he was living in 1940, when he was murdered in the Shoah. (A passport photo of Ginda Leah (nee Levit) Tanur is available by clicking on the link above.)

Boruch ("Codikas") died of consumption, in Raseiniai, on July 21, 1928.

Michael (Miguel) emigrated to Guadalajara, Mexico around 1925, where he married Josephine Tatz, also from Lithuania.

Miguel and Josephine's children are:

• Bernardo (Boruch)

• Moises (Moshe)

• Flora. 

The next generations:   1) Bernardo married Alma Amada Arav RIP) and their children are Eduardo, Ricardo and Monica.   2) Moises married Ms. Bity Fefer (RIP) and their children are Daniel, Debora, and Ari.  3) Flora married  Xico (RIP) and their children are Liliana, Patricia, Antonio,Jorge and Mauricio. 

Ricardo is married to Galia and their children are Devorah, Alma (Rachel Neshama), and Yakov.

BERNARD Tanner  ( ? - 24 May, 1929)

Bernard (Dov Ber ben ?) emigrated to South Africa, possibly with Hillel. 

Bernard married Margaret (Masha bas Eliahu) (nee ?).  Bernard and Margaret's children were:

• Fanny (RIP)

• Annie (Dolores ? - 1998)  (RIP)

• Morris (Moshe) (1906 - 1988)

• Michael (Michael) (1908 - 1966)

• Rosalind  ( - 1995)

• David ( - 1998)

The next generations:

1) Michael married Dora Fanny (Devorah Fanya bas Shlomo).  Their son is Bernard. 2) David married Yetta and their children are Bernice, Sybil, and Selwyn.

Bernard married Anne Wendy (nee Meyerson); they have two children.

Yehoshua Rafael (Ovsey)  (ben Shlomo) Also from Skuodos:

In 1890, Yehoshua Rafel and his wife Rachel (nee Davidav) are living in Tels/Kaunas, occupation "2nd Guuld Merchant".  They are living there with their children.  In 1892, Ovsey (Yehoshua) and his family live in Skuodas; he's "well-to-do".... and he has 6 in his family. In 1904 Yosef lives in Skuodas, "has 8 family members", "owns a house" and is "well-to-do". (See his genealogy, below.).  In 1914 Yosef is still in Skodas. 

Their children are:

• Sholom Rafael b. 1867

• Ida b. 1869

• Yosef Ber b. 1874

• Sarah Leah b. 1874 (?)

• Hirsh Meir (b. April 24, 1875)

• Eliash (Ilia) b. Feb. 10, 1878

• Esther b. 1884.
  

Yosef (Joseph) (ben Yehoshua) Tanur  b. 1872 (?) married Yohanna nee Waller.  

Joseph moved his family from Skuodos to Kaunas, where he ran a candy and soap factory.  His last known address, as of Dec. 1920 (when Mauritz immigrated to the U.S.), was Vienybes Sikate 2 (Vienybes Square), Kaunas.  He died of a stroke.  Yohana died in 1944, killed in the Shoah.

They had eight children: 

• Samuel (1893 - 1970)

• Mauritz (July 15, 1895 (Skuodas) - Dec. 1960)

• Fanya (1902 - 1987, Herzliya Pituach, Israel)

• Tsvi Hirsch (1902 - 1942)

• Genia (Jenny) (Aug. 13, 1903, Skuodas - )

• Mascha (1908 - 1944)

• Ida ( - 1942)

• Chaim (Charles) ( - 19??, London)

Of these 8 children:

Sam arrived in the U.S. on June 20, 1910. at age 17; he changed the spelling of his last name to "Tanner".  He married Fanny (Fay). 

Mauritz  married Edith (b.1908 - d. 2008). 

Fanya married Leon Rubinstein (in Berlin in 1930/31).  

Hirsch died in the Shoah.  Genia (Jenny) married Robert Bodlander and emigrated to Australia.   

Mascha married Shmuel Gringauz (Mully).  Mascha later was killed in the Shoah, in Stuffhof (1944). 

Ida married Rafael___. Their daughter was Asja.  She and Asja were killed in the Shoah.

Chaim (Charles) married Moussia (and moved to London, UK). 

The next generations:  Samuel & Fay's children are David and Joan.  Jenny & Robert Bodlander's children are Serge (b. 1932, Berlin) and Ariane (Bodlander).  Mascha & Shmuel Gringauz's son is Alex (Gringauz).  The children of Fanya & Leon ( - 1990) Rubinstein are Jonathan, Roman ( b. Berlin, 1934 - 1999) and Norbert (Rubinstein).  The son of Mauritz & Edith Tanur is Michael (Tanur), born in Koenigsbirg.

1) Jonathan Rubinstein's children are Gabriel and Max (Rubinstein).  2) Roman & Greta Rubinstein's children are Wendy, Lori, Mark and Lee.  3) Norbert married Zelma Grodecki; Norbert & Zelma's children are Dana, Tamar, Guy and Michal (Rubinstein).  4) Sam & _____'s daughter is Joan (nee Tanur).  5) Chaim & Moussia's daughter is Elizabeth (nee Tanur) Kramer, (living in London).

Joan married Edward Katine.  Michael Tanur is married to Judith.

Ovsei (Yehoshua) Tanur = Rollo Davidoff. One of their children was Ida (nee Tanur) (bat Yehoshua) b. Nov. 1, 1867, and they lived in Skuodos.  She married Shmuel David Mark (from Polangen) around 1889.  They lived in Libau, Latvia.

Their children were (some ages listed in Ship Log are incorrect), in birth order: 

• Lina b. 1892 (?)

• Moisey b. Oct. 24,1892 (--> Mauritz)

• Fanny b. Dec. 19, 1895

• Julius b. March 12, 1898

• Amalie b. Sept. 5, 1900

• Marcus   b. 1909 (?)

As a family, they left Latvia and immigrated to Ellis Island, arriving in 1906, and from there made their way to Cincinnati, Ohio.  Ida Mark was the "Aunt Ida Mark" mentioned in the cookbook. Ida Tanur Mark died in Ohio Nov. 26, 1947.

Hirsh Meyer (ben Yehoshua)

Hirsh Meyer married Shimkhe nee Peisel in Plunge, Telse, Kaunas, in 1902 on the 14th of Cheshvan.  His occupation is "merchant's son".

OTHER TANURS: Help us to piece together the puzzle, if you can!

• Adolf Tanur, b. appx. 1889 (in Russia/Lithuania), emigrated to Buenos Aires.  He emigrated from Buenos aires to New York on June 25, 1923, at the age of 34. (His given name may have been Shlomo.)
  
  Adolfo Tanur married Ruth Camhi.  Their children were Ariel and Nathan. Ariel married Sara Levy; their children are Sergio, Deborah, and Guillermo.  Guillermo married Gladys Assab Hassan and their children are Fernando, Martha, and Eduardo.  Martha is married to Alexandro Cohen.

The information below was provided by the Yad Vashem Database. 

TANURS Living in SKUODOS

• Yehoshua/Joshua Tanur married Sonia nee (?).
  Their daughter was Esther (Tanur), born 10/6/1884, in Skuodos. Esther married ___Gelfand. Their son was Nathan Gelfand. Esther was killed in the Shoah, 5/8/41).  Nathan ( - d. 1999) married Libby (nee ?) ( - d. 2001, and they made California their home. Their son is Marty.
  

• Hirsh Meir Tanur (b. appx. 1870) married Zeide (nee ?) (b. ? d. 1942).
  He was born in Skuodos.   
  Hirsh Meir and Zeide's children were Zeni (b. 1910 - 1941) and Ida (b. 1914).
  Hirsch Meir, Zeide, Zeni and Ida were all murdered in the Shoah.  (Yona Hirshfeld, who submitted many names to the Yad Vashem database, lists herself as Hirsh Meir's neice, and Ida and Zeni's cousin.) 
   

• Yehoshua Tanur married Rachel nee (?)   He was born in Skuodas. 
  Their children were:
  Eliahu/Elyash
  Liliana/Leah.
  Hirsh Meir. (b. 1896 d. 1945)  Hirsch Meir married ?
  
  1) Eliyash/Yehoshua ( b. 1889 - 1944?) married Masha (nee Rabinowitz) (1891 - 1942)
  He was a chemist, who owned a store for medical supplies and cosmetics.
  Their children were:
  Ira (aleph, yud, resh, hey) (1922?   - 1945), (there is a photo of her on the Shoah database)
  Roza (b. 1922, d. 1945) and
  Aurelia (Lali) (b. 1924. d. 1945).
  Roza was married to a doctor at the time of her death.
  
  2) Lali married Yitzchak Feit.  Their daughter was Yona (nee Fait), who married ___Hirshfeld.
  Eliahu and his wife Masha, their children Lali, Roza and Ira were all massacred in 1941 at Alka Hill. 
   

• Yehoshua Tanur married Rachel (nee (?))  Their children were Hirsch Meir (b. 1889 - and Zidi.
  Hirsch Meir Tanur married Zeida (nee (?)).  Hirsch Meir was killed in the Shoah.
   

• Eliahu/Elyash born 1878?  d. Age 66.  He was a merchant.
   

TANURS Living in KAUNAS/KOVNO Raseinai) 

• Yosef Tanur, married to Chaya Tanur, (1881 - 1942, murdered in the Shoah

Chaim Hillel Tanur, married to ?, (1852 - ?)  The resided in Kaunas, Raseinai, district No. 2, house of Batshevich.  Their children are:

• Beylya Dina b. 1880

• Feyga Riva  b. 1883

• Michhel Meir b. Feb. 12, 1885

• Gitel b. 1888

• Devorah Eta died (by the time of the census, 1906).

MORE TANURS and LISTINGS OF TANURS    The information below was provided by JewishGen (listed in chronological order):

• 1834, Latvia
  Abraham Tanner, Abraham ben Tanchum.  Age 55.  House #13.
   

• 1834, Seredzius, Kaunas.  Zelman ben Wulf (age 41) was married to Chaya (age 38).  Their daughter was Ryvka (age 8).
  

The information below was provided by Dachau Concentration Camp Records: 1945:

• Hirsch Tanur, born in Skudi, lived in Kaunas. Born 19 January, 1900.  Arrived at Dachau, July 15, 1944.  Murdered on Feb. 9, 1945. May he rest in peace.

TANURS believed to be described above:

• Sept. 3, 1894, Raseiniai, Kaunas, Internal Passport Database
  Berel Tanur, (1870 - ? ), son of Tankhel (Tanchum), was married to Mariasha (1871 - ? ). 
  Their daughter was Ginda (1893 - ? ).  

• March 31, 1895, Raseiniai, Kaunas, Passport Database
  Ber Tanur(1870 - ? ), son of Tankhel (Tanchum), and his brother Hillel ((1873 - ? ), were issued passports. 

• 1913, Raseinai: Prenumeranten Lists (no additional information available)
  Zadok Tanur
  Michael Tenur, son of Chaim Yehoshua Hillel Tenur
  Chaim Yehoshua Hillel Tanur
  Moshe Feivel Tanur, from Raseiniai (found in Cleveland, Ohio)  HELP!  Do you know anything about this person?
   

To learn about Eliahu Tanur and his role in founding the popular Jewish bank in Skuodas, please follow the link.

HELP!  Do you know anything about the person below, who lived in South Africa?  (The information below was provided by the JSA Jewish Rootsbank, and the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry - South Africa.

• Yetta Tanur,                b. 1911    d. 1994,  age 83  

 An interesting link about rebuilding the Jewish community in Lithuania today: The Jewish Community of Lithuania