Borispolsky and Tanur
*Historical note: To learn more about the locations of these countries where we came from, small towns, gubernias (provinces or governing districts in pre-1917 Russia), provinces and nations, click HERE. PATERNAL SIDE: BORISPOLSKY
Origins of the surname Borispolsky
We are not exactly sure of its origin, or where the Borispolski family came from prior to Mozyr. “Barishpolski” was a common Jewish surname in Kiev, and that the family immigrated toward the Baltic Sea from there.
Note: The surname “Barishpolski” is said to derive from B (ben) R (rabbi) SH (Shimon), with “polski” tacked on.
Borispolsky in Mozyr
Belarus census and revision lists reveal Barispolskiy families living in Mozyr and in Bragin as early as 1850, both towns in Minsk guberniya, in the extreme southern portion of the Gomel region of Minsk, two cities 58 miles from each other. both along the Pripyat River, in the extreme south near the border with Belorus and Ukraine.
The Mozyr and Bragin families were closely related.
It’s likely the Boris side of our family tree was one or two generations descended from one of Abram ben Dovid‘s and Sarah Borispolsky‘s children. Bracha, their youngest daughter. was born in Mozyr in1847.
The known history of the Boris side of our family tree begins with my four great-grandparents.
- On my father’s father’s side: Yaakov Moshe Borispolsky and his wife Ana Bessie (Chana Batya?) (nee) Swirsky.
- On my father’s mother’s’ side: Tanur and Meyers.
The marriage certificate of my grandfather Joseph Boris said the mother’s maiden name was Swirsky. But Hyman Boris, my grandfather’s brother, listed his father as Jacob Boris and his mother as Bessie Rachlin on his brother Joseph Boris’ certificate of death in 1941. I believe “Rachlin” may refer to a foster mother.
For a while, at least, Yaakov Moshe and Chana Borispolski lived in Mozyr, Russia, where, on June 10,1888, my grandfather, Joseph Boris, was born.
In the image we see six children. There are two known children of Yaakov Moshe and Ana Bessie (Chana Batia?):
1) Joseph (Yosef) top row, 2nd from left, and
2) Hyman (Yehoshua?) right.
The others we know to be: (names?)
Joseph was a Private in the Infantry in Russia and served for 3 years. He left the Infantry, we presume to escape the infantry, and immigrated to America. His brother Hyman (Chaim) also immigrated to America.
Origins of the maternal surname Swirsky: This name may indicate that Ana Bessie came from the town of Swir, located in Belarus, just south of the border between Belarus and Lithuania.
Immigration History: BORISCHPOLSKY
The first Borispolsky I found immigrating to the US – arriving through Ellis Island on August 8, 1912, was Chasia Borispolsky, age 23, married, age 27, traveling with her three sons, Lael (?) 6 yo)< (4 yo), Lieb, and Itzig (infant). She was traveling to Philadelphia, to be with her husband, Abraham Borischpolsky, who was living at 415 Lombard Street. She indicated she was born in Bialacerkow, known today as Bila Tserkva, and indicating it was part of Kiev. She indicated the name of her closest living relative in Bialacerkow was Hershel Gligin (spelling?). We have not been able to link this Borispolsky with our family tree, although both families were from Kiev.
Joseph Borispolsky
1913: My grandfather “Josef Borispolski” arrived at Pier 53, the Philadelphia Immigration Station, the Port of Philadelphia on March 20, 1913, age 25. His year of birth was estimated to be 1888. He listed his birthplace, Mosyr (located northwest of Kiev), Russia, his last Residence: Minsk; his father, Yankel* (*nickname for Yaakov) Borispolski, currently living in Mozyr. Josef was met at the Port of Philadelphia by his brother Hyman Borispolski, and he was headed to Johnstown PA, which is where Hyman (“Hymie:) was living. Johnstown was booming at that time due to the coal industry.
Remains of Washington Avenue Immigration Station Pier 53 and New Elevated Walkway and ‘Land Buoy’ Spiral Staircase – 1 Washington Ave Philadelphia PA
Image By Nick-philly – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Wikipedia Commons
1917: Next, on June 5, 1917 Joseph Borispolsky registered for the draft for WW1. He signed his name as Joseph Borispolsky. His height was “medium”, build “stout”, hair black, eyes, black. (If he was born in 1888, he was 29 at the time. If he was born in 1892, he was 26.)
I have been unable to locate Joseph Boris in the 14th Census of the United States (1920), who would be 32 at that time.
We don’t know how they met, but on June 29, 1922, Joseph Boris and Ida Tanur applied for a license to wed in the City of Philadelphia. Joseph Boris listed his occupation as merchant, place of residence as 5841 Larchwood Avenue, and date of birth as July 15, 1892. He listed his mother as Ana Bessie (paternal: Swirsky; maternal: Meyers) and indicated that (in 1922) both his mother and father were deceased. (If he was born in 1892, he was 30 at the time and if he was born in 1888, he was 34 at the time. We theory that he is born in 1888, since his 26-year old wife Ida was born in 1896, and this would make him a younger 30, not an older 34.)
1930: Joseph and Ida Boris were living with the Jacob (Menachem Nachum) and Lena Sporkin – the Sporkins hailed from near the town of Gorodishche, Kiev (500 Km south of Mozyr) – and their two youngest children, Mollie (11 yo) and Charles (8 yo). The two families were related through Ida Tanur: Lena Sporkin and Ida (Tanur) Boris were first cousins — same “thin lips” and “pointed chin” as Sarah. Ida’s mother and Lena’s father (Moshe Zev) were siblings. Lena married Jacob Sporkin (hence, Lena Meyers Sporkin),
The Sporkins and Joseph and Ida Boris were listed in the 1930 Census Record, along with Theona (Chana Tuba) (7 yo) and Jerome (Yaakov Moshe) (5 yo) and they lived on North 7th Street. But Nathan (17 yo), Morris (15 yo) and Abraham (13 yo), the older children are not listed. Betty Ida was born to Joseph and Ida Boris soon after the census was taken.
Please continue the story of Joseph Boris and Ida nee Tanur Boris below with “Maternal Side: TANUR.”
HYMAN BORISPOLOSKY
Hyman, who was known as Hymie, was my dad’s uncle, my grandfather’s brother.
Hyman Borispolsky
At the time, Joseph was a clerk employed by his brother Hyman Boris (see left) at 119 Broad Street, Johnstown, PA.
1918: Hyman Boris‘ WWI Draft Registration card lists his address as 119 Broad Street, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA, his wife “Saidie Boris”. His occupation was “merchant”, at the same 119 Broad Street address. Physical characteristics, height 5’6”, eyes brown, hair dark brown.
Jan. 15, 1882 – “Uncle Hymie” was born on this date (according to his WWII Draft Registration card).
1920: The next listing jumped to 1920, the 14th Census of the United States. Hyman (Hymie) and Sadie Boris were living at 115b Broad Street, Johnstown (Cambria County), with their 3 children, Rebecca (6), Jacob (5) and Bessie (2). They had a servant, Mary Belah. It is this that I believe links Joseph Boris to Ida Tanur: Hyman Boris lived in Johnstown and Ida Tanur lived outside of Altoona, and I believe they may have met – or been set up – here in western PA.)
During WW2, Hymie and Sadie Boris (b. April 15, 1887) were living in in Jamaica, NY. He indicated he was working for the Capital Home Improvement Co., 125 W. Main St., Uniontown.
Sadie Boris died in Jamaica, Queens, NY, in June, 1972.
MATERNAL SIDE: TANUR
I am able to trace my great-grandparents with certainty: They were TSVI HIRSH Harry) TANUR and his wife CHANA TOBA (nee) Myers. They lived in Roseinai, Lithuania. She was born in Rasseniai (a city in the region or “gubernia” of Kovno), Lithuania. (See map below.) The (known) children of Tsvi Hirsh and Chana Toba Tanur were 1) Sarah and 2) Chaya Henya (Ida), both of whom came to America; we are trying to document whether there were other siblings as well, as we now believe there may well have been. (For details, see Tanur page).
Chaya Henya (Ida) Tanur
We have no known photos of my grandmother Ida, only her sister Sarah.
“Chaya Henya” (Ida) Tanur, my grandmother, arrived at Ellis Island on July 12, 1910 , having sailed on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam, from Rotterdam. The manifest listed Chaje Tanur, last place of Residence: Reseinn (Raseiniai). She listed her age as 19 and she was a seamstress. Her father’s name was given as Hirschel Tanur, from Reseinn, Kovno. She was listed as “Hebrew” and traveling to Expedit, PA to live with her uncle, H Tanur (Hyman Tanur), who lived in Twin Rocks Station, PO Box 196, Expedit Pa.
At the same time, Ida’s aunt and uncle, Hyman and Rachel Tanur, were indicated in the 1910 census as living in Blacklick County, PA, with sons Samuel (17 yo, Solomon (15 yo), Jacob (7 yo), and daughters Fanny (4 yo) and Ida (3 yo). The parents had immigrated to the US in 1902; Jacob, Fanny and Ida were born in the United States. Unfortunately we don’t know much about these early years of Ida’s but we do know that many Tanurs from Skuodas and Rasieinai, Lithuania, including Sarah’s and Ida’s uncles and aunts such as Hyman and Rachel (nee Brett) Tanur, and Hillel and Rachel (nee Davidov) Tanur had gone a to live in Pittsburgh PA and surrounding areas and Hyman and Rachel seem to have hosted her.
Joseph Boris and Ida Tanur marry:
On June 29, 1922, Joseph Boris and Ida Tanur (see Boris(polsky) section) applied for a license to wed. Here, she listed her date of birth as December 19, 1896, and Americanized the name of her father to Harry and her mother to Ana Tillie (nee) Myers. She indicated her father was alive and living in Russia, her mother was deceased. She also indicated her address was the same as her husband-to-be, 2841 Larchwood Avenue, Philadelphia.
Soon, Joseph and Ida Boris went to live with Ida’s first cousin Lena nee Meyers Sporkin and her husband, Jacob (Menachem Nachum) and Lena Sporkin.
This is when the tragedy that broke my father’s young family apart occurred: His mother died in the hospital, shortly after giving birth to Betty Ida.
My grandmother, Mrs. Ida Boris was niftar, Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, at the age of 34, on April 24, 1930, at 9:45 a.m. My grandmother was laid to rest at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Collingdale, on April 25th. Her birthstone indicates her Hebrew name of Chaya Hania bat Tsvi.
AFTER IDA’S TRAGIC DEATH
In 1936, Joseph Boris moved to New York City, to 91 Second Avenue (Pictured at left.)
He got a job at Turin’s Restaurant, at 76 Second Avenue, as a singing waiter. He was 48. The restaurant is across the street and down one block and has been converted to a Spanish church.
After Ida’s tragic death, the three young children lived with Mollie nee Sporkin and Ben Tress. They also lived briefly with Sarah (nee Tanur) and Abe King (see below). Then Joseph turned the three children over, my father was 11 or 12 at the time, to the care of foster parents, visiting the children sporadically. My father recalls his father smoking, and coughing a lot during these short visits. (Mollie Tress, sadly, died in June 1936 at the age of 37.)
Joseph Boris returned to Pennsylvania, to Uniontown, where his brother Hymie and sister-in-law Sarah lived.
Joseph died in 1941 and was buried in Hopwood, PA.
Please continue below with Sarah Tanur’s story..
Sarah Tanur
Sara Tanur arrived at Ellis Island on Dec. 9, 1920, on the SS Oscar II, sailing from Copenhagen; she was 23 at the time. It indicated her language as German, and her birthplace as Rosseinic, Lithuania. She was going to visit her uncle on her mother’s side, Jacob Sporkin, at 308 North 7th Street, Philadelphia. Her height was given as 5’ 3”. (As indicated above.
The sisters Sarah and Ida Tanur were first cousins to the Sporkins related trough Lena Sporkin, Jacob’s wife Lena nee Tanur and Sarah’s and Ida’s mother Chansa Tauba Tanur were sisters.)
Sarah Tanur married Abe King (Sept. 7, 1884 – March 1982), who was from England; his parents were David King and Millie (nee) Singer. In 1926 she was living in Chicago, Illinois, where she and Abe married. By 1930, they were living in Pittsburgh, PA, where many other Tanurs from the line of YEHOSHUA ben Tanchum had settled and started new lives.
By 1935, Sarah and Abe had moved east to Philadelphia, PA. In 1937 Sarah and Abe were living at 5940 Hazel Avenue, in (West Philadelphia). Abe had a business at 104 North 60th Street named “West Philadelphia Decorating Co.”
In October 19, 1942, Sarah and Abe King were living at 547 S. Salford Street, West Philadelphia. As indicated in the Boris(polsky) section, Sarah Tanur applied for her social security card on October 19, 1942. She listed her date of birth as March 12, 1896. She listed her father’s name as Girsh Tanur, and her mother as Tobey Myers. She listed her place of birth as Rosseniai, Lithuania.
See above, “After Ida’s tragic death“.
On July 21, 1943, “Aunt Sarah” became a citizen of the USA. Sarah (nee Tanur) and Abe King moved to Los Angeles, CA.
Sarah Tanur King passed away on May 16, 1984, and is buried at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA.