Early history

The Tarnopolsky's are ancestors of this last name who lived in Ternoipol, Ukraine. Ternopil was part of Poland in the 1700's but was ceded to Russia in the early 1800's. Polish citizens did not have last names, so when Russia completed the annexation, they were required to obtain a last name. Last names were usually created by either the name of the town where the citizen lived or the occupation of the head of the household.

Early Immigration

The earliest recorded relative of the family in the United States is gentleman by the name of A. Berman (Bermann), who was Uncle to the first group of Tarnapolsky immigrants headed to the U.S. The reason for the exodus from Russia was due to persecution of the Jewish community in Russia. Pogroms, or mass violent attacks, starting occuring in the 1880's and escalated in the early 1900's. It was believed the Tsatrist secret police was involved at the orders of the Tsar.

The first recorded Tarnapolsky to arrive in the U.S. was Helel Tarnapolsky, who departed via the ship Glasgow on January 20, 1906 and arriving on January 30, 1906. The next Tarnapolsky to depart was Moses Tarnapolsky, later known as Morris and Max, on February 3, 1906 and arrived on February 10, 1906. He also departed for Philadelphia to live with his Uncle, A. Berman (Bermann). Benjamin Tarnopolsky arrived sometime in 1920 and Laka Tarnapolsky also arrived in the U.S. at an undetermined time. There was yet one other known Tarnopolsky sibling that lived in Russia and never immigrated. Her name was Sone Tarnapolsky.

The above mentioned Tarnopolsky's were the children of Sure Tarnopolsky and Chiam Tarnopolsky. Chiam died in Russia in 1921, prompting Sure to come live with her son, Max Paul.

Other family members?

There are other possible Tarnapolsky connections in the Philadelphia area. This information is provided in hopes of finding even more family members in the area.

Alsher Tarnopolsky

Alsher Tarnopolsky immigrated in 1896 and was a tailor. He lived with his wife Sadie and his daughter Sarah at 321 S. 5th Street. He was born around 1858 in Russia.

Louis Tarnopolsky

Louis was a tin smith who immigrated in 1906 and lived in South Philadelphia.

Abraham Paul
was born around 1882 and immigrated in 1899 and lived at 209 Greenwood Street with his Fanny and children Frank, Ava and Anna. He was a machinist.

Samuel Paul
was born around 1878 and immigrated around 1904. His wife's name was Rose and his children were Sarah, Jacob and Lewis. They lived n the same house as Abraham's family.