TARAKHOVSKII GROUP PHOTOS
PAGE 9
PHOTOS NEEDING IDENTIFICATION
Photo 02-09-01 |
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This
photo is one of the most precious I own, and one of
the most genealogically valuable. It depicts two
young girls, almost certainly sisters, in typically
Russian winter dress. However, it is the Russian
inscription on the reverse which brings it to life.
It reads "For a nice souvenir, to the uncle and
aunt, sisters and brother, from your nieces, Gitl
and Nyunya Tarakhovskii. Peski, 22 December 1913".
The uncle, aunt, sisters and brother were Myer and
Jane and their children, Gertrude, Sam (my
grandfather) and Sarah Rebecca (Ruby). However, Gitl
and Nyunya are not among the known family members
(i.e. the descendants of Solomon Tarakhovskii), and
all of this line of Tarakhovskiis had arrived in
England some time before 1913. So, these girls must
have been more distant cousins, related to a brother
of Solomon, who must have been their paternal
grandfather. However, the inscription's reference to
Myer and Jane as aunt and uncle lends strong support
to the rumour that Jane was a cousin of Myer's, and
so a Tarakhovskii herself. It is quite plausible
that Myer and Jane were first cousins, and Jane's
brother was the father of these two girls.
The next
point of debate is the spelling of the surname. In
England, the phonetic spelling usually began with
"Tara...", though there is one instance of "Tera...".
Although the origins of the family are thought to
lie in Terekhovka, it now seems just about
certain that the pronunciation in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries was "Tara...".
Finally,
and most controversially, a place name is given.
With the debate about the family's origins still
unsolved, the appearance here of the name "Peski"
(probably pronounced "Pyeski"), strongly supports
the idea that the family, at some point, lived in
Chernigov Gubernia, near the towns of Terekhovka,
Berezna, Borzna and Bakhmach.
If you
do, you are a cousin of this family! Please contact
me immediately at
saulmarks@hotmail.com!
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Photo from estate of Gertrude Brown.
Translation by Keith Munro. Surname and place name translation by Jeff
Kaiser. |
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Photo 02-09-02
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This is
a studio shot of a young man who I have labelled
"The Student", as he looks very erudite. His dress
does not give away too much about the period of the
photo, though it could be around the 1920s. He bears
a resemblance to Sam Black, as shown on Chapel
Street station (Photos
Page 7)
and the gentleman with the group of women, below. If
this photo was taken in the mid-late 1920s, it fits
that it could be Sam Black, based on his age and on
the fact that he has yet to be identified by anyone
in contact with the family.
If you
can answer these questions, please contact me at
saulmarks@hotmail.com.
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Photo donated by Hillel Harris |
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Photo 02-09-03
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Photo 02-09-04
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These
photos appear to be of the same boy, taken a few
years apart. The oval photo, taken in Liverpool, shows him aged about 3,
dressed in an overly long tallis and an
old-fashioned yarmulke, and
holding a long, thin object of some kind. Another
copy of the photo is owned by Hillel Harris.
Although both are mounted on the type
of card used frequently for prized family photos in
the 1910s, the photo itself seems to be printed on
more modern paper, typical of a later period. This could
suggest that the copies of the photos were made in
order to send to older family members, who would
appreciate the more traditional presentation.
The
later photo depicts what appears to be the same boy
aged about 11, dressed in fairly summery clothes and
holding a hat.
If you
do, you are a cousin of this family! Please contact
me immediately at
saulmarks@hotmail.com!
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Photo from estate of Gertrude Brown |
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Photo donated by Hillel Harris |
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Photo 02-09-05
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This
appears to be a drawing (rather than a photo) of a
boy, perhaps in his early teens, wearing a wing
collar. The face does not show enough detail to
identify him properly, and the picture seems to bear
a number of marks consistent with being rubbed or
scratched. It is mounted on a piece of card, with
slightly rounded edges.
The
picture was examined in 2000 by Audrey Linkman, then
of the Documentary Photo Archive in Manchester. She
suggested the drawing had been made by copying an
actual photo, perhaps after the boy had died. It
does seem possible that it could have been made in
Russia, and it certainly small enough, and worn
enough, to have been carried in a pocket during
weeks of travel.
However,
it seems that there is simply not enough detail in
the picture to make a positive identification,
unless there are other copies in existence, and the
owners of those copies know more of the picture's
origin.
If you
have, please contact me at
saulmarks@hotmail.com.
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Photo from estate of Gertrude Brown |
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