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 and fuller family tree. 

Challenges: It is especially difficult to track the women, who marry and change their last names.  In addition, many TANURS changed the spelling of their surname to TANNER. If your last name is TANNER or TANER and have a relative who was born in Lithuania, he just might be part of our family tree. Please contact us!!!

How Far Back Does the Surname "Tanur" Go? 

In 1793, in Lithuania, we find the earliest Tanurs in Skuodas, Kaunas, with Zelman ben Wulf, born in 1793;  he married Chaya (b. 1793) and they had a daughter Rivka, and lived still in Skuodas in 1828. By 1834 they were living in the town of Seredzius (in Kaunas). (Zelman is Yiddish name for Shlomo.) with two other famlies (Freyman (husband and wife) and Grinblat (wife only, and their daughter.) (There was also Wulf in 1846, livintg in Seduva, Siauliai, probably the same person.)

Even earlier, in 1779: I find the surname Tanur in Latvia, with Tanchum Tanur, who gave birth to a son Avraham in 1779.  (Might Tanchum and Zelman have been brothers?)

In 1780, we find the birth of YEHOSHUA ("Ovsey"), b. 1780, living probably in Lithuania. In 1849 there is a record of the death of Yehoshua (Ovsey) ben Abram, At this time he was a "poor taxpayer unable to pay." I therefore conjecture that he was a son of Tanchum (see above) and a brother to Avraham. Abraham was still living in Latvia in House #13, in 1834 (now 55 yo). 

Yehoshua ("Ovsey")  (and his wife, name unknown) had 3 known (to us) children:  Michael (b. 1910), Shalom (b. 1810) and Yehuda David ("Iudel David) b. 1817, and all living in Skuodas (except where noted). Yehoshua's family tree is the one that has produced the most fruit, that we know of and we see the name Tanchum multiple times in his line.  It's this family whose lineage we trace below.

We begin with the three brothers: 1) Michael, 2) Shalom and 3) Iudel David.

PAGE 1: MICHAEL ben Ovsey b. 1810

 Michael m. Feyge (nee?) and their children were:

1.  ABRAM

2.  YITZCHAK (Ayzik) b. 1831.  Yitzchak married Ginda (b. appx. 1831). 

3.  LEAH b. 1838

4.  TANCHUM ("Tankel") b. 1841

5. GITA b. 1845

6.  CHANA b. 1859

In 1858, Yehoshua's family - his wife, their son Michael, his wife Feyge and their children Yitchak and his wife Ginda, and Leah, Tanchum, Gita and Chana - all lived together, in Raseiniai, as "Petit Bourgeouis". Michael (ben Ovsey) was, in 1885, still living in Raseinai and listed as "poor." Tanchum ben Michael would have been named after his grandfather.

I'll go into more detail later on, as my family lineage follows TANCHUM ben Michael.

PAGE 2: SHALOM ben Ovsey b. 1810

Michael and Shalom were both born in 1810. Were they twins???

Shalom m. Chaya (nee?) b. appx. 1813 and their (known) child was:

YEHOSHUA (Ovsey) b. 1838 or 1840

PAGE 3: YEHUDA DAVID ("Iudel") ben Ovsey  b. 1817

Iudel m. Riva(nee?) b. appx. 1822 and their (known) children were 1) Liba, 2) Leah, 3) Feyge (and living with them was a niece, Fruma Elka.

1.  LIBA b. 1840

2.  LEAH b. 1842

3.  FEYGE b. 1848

4.  FRUMA ELKA b. 1834 - a niece (parents?)

In 1890, Sholum, 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.

Most of the Tanurs we know of come from one of these three branches, sons of Yehoshua ("Ovsey").

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