My Karasov Family from Poltava Gubernia, Ukraine (updated 11/23/2024)

Although Karasov is a common name in Russia and Ukraine (where the name is usually transliterated as "Karasev"), most Karasovs in the USA are descended from William and Beatrice Karasov, Russian Jews who immigrated from Kiev, Ukraine, to England, then to western Canada, and then to the United States. This photo from c.1938 shows William and Beatrice with their six children and extended family at a reunion in St. Paul, Minneosta.

The family story is that the Karasovs came from Kiev, but in his 1911 British Census entry and 1940s papers for U.S. citizenship, William Karasov said he was born in "Lochvich" [Lokhvitsa, Ukraine] and Beatrice was born in "Lubna" or "Luben" [Lubny, Ukraine]. Both towns are in the Poltava region of central Ukraine, southeast of Kiev.

Left: The Pale of Settlment (LegacyTree.com), Right: Poltava Gubernia (JewishGen.org)

 
Karasov is a patronymic name derived from the Slavic word "karas," meaning carp. Maybe the first Karasov was a fisherman or a fishmonger? "Lokhvitsa" probably stems from the Slavic word for "salmon," so amusingly the "Son of a Carp" came from "Salmon-Town."

Another vital clue in William's U.S. naturalization papers was his alias "Wolf Karasik," which was probably his birth name. The name "Karasik" is also derived from the Slavic word "karas," but it's a less dignified diminutive — "Little Carp."

One more scientific clue is that my male Karasov cousins have the Y-DNA haplogroup E-L791, which shows how they are related to broader humanity through the male line. Their direct patrilineal ancestors came from Africa to the Middle East, where haplogroup E-L791 first emerged over 10,000 years ago. Today, descendants bearing this haplogroup live throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, with a particular concentration in Eastern Europe. A fun trivia fact is both Napoleon Bonaparte and Albert Einstein belonged to this Y-DNA haplogroup E-L791, but that's more the luck of the draw and our common ancestors lived in prehistoric times. Presumably the Karasik paternal line followed the larger Ashkenazi Jewish migration: from Italy and southern Europe during the Dark Ages, to perhaps Germany and Moravia during the High Middle Ages, and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Early Modern period. 

Napoleon and Albert Einstein, distant patrilineal cousins from Neolithic times.

By the time the Karasov male ancestors adopted the surname "Karasik" around 1804, they probably lived in the Poltava region of Ukraine. There are a number of Karasiks in Poltava regional records, including a soldier who died in the Russo-Japanese War. Through the incredible indexes of vital records created by JewishGen's Ukraine Research Division, I found a Russian record of my earliest known Karasov ancestor, under the surname Karasik!

Karasik / Karasov  family tree. Click for larger view.

In May 1870, 58-year-old Itsko-Khaim Karasik, (Ицко-Хаим Карасик) (c.1812-1870) died of "illness" in the city of Priluki (now Pryluky, Ukraine). He was called a "лохвицкий мещанин" (Lokhvitskiy meshanin), which means "tradesman from Lokhvitsa." This word for "tradesman" indicates class, that Itsko-Khaim belonged to the "Mieshanstvo," an archaic word meaning "burghers," or city dwellers who owned small businesses, or petite bourgeoisie. It's fascinating that Itsko-Khaim became a merchant in a larger city, given that he was born into a shtetl in an imperial Russian society full of restrictions of Jewish business, residence, and social interaction. 

Itsko-Khaim Karasik's death record (1870). His name is in the middle of the last column. Click to enlarge.

Hopefully I will learn more about Itsko-Khaim Karasik, who was my great-great-great-great-grandfather, and who died when his grandson Wolf Karasik (later William Karasov) was a toddler.

Itsko-Khaim Karasik had at least one son: Evsai Karasik, known in later years as Jehosuah Karasov (c.1848-1917). He married Betsy Karasov (c.1850-1924), whose maiden name is unknown, and they had at least nine children but only four had survived, according to their 1911 British census entry. Their granddaughter Rose K. Lora said there were five brothers Karasov who were born in Russia, and only two immigrated: William and Isaac.

Jehosuah Karasov's grave, Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England. 

William Karasov (1867-1949; Hebrew name: Zev) was born in Lochvitsya. He married Beatrice Karasov on June 8, 1890 in Lubny and immigrated to Liverpool, England around 1891.

Beatrice Karasov (1869-1947), the mother of the U.S. Karasovs, was born Basheva Tarnarutsky in 1869 in Lubny (Luben), Ukraine to Chaim Tarnarutsky (died c.1901) and his wife Rivka. Chaim may have been among the Jews of Luben who in 1880 elected 21-year-old Solomon Rabinovich to serve as the town's "crown rabbi," or registrar of vital records. Rabinovich later wrote under the pen name Sholem Aleichem and his "Tevye the Milkman" stories inspired the musical "Fiddler on the Roof." She had at least three brothers, Avishai, Morris, and Shlomo Tarnarutsky, who are mentioned further down. 

Isaac Karasov (c.1876-1942), William's brother, was named at birth Itzak Chaim Karasik, after his paternal grandfather. His marriage record (dated July 22, 1903 by the Julian calendar, which is August 4, 1903 by the Gregorian calendar) says he married Freida-Risa Gluskin in her hometown of Priluki. Itzak and Freida Karasik immigrated to Liverpool, England between 1903 to 1905, and anglicized their names as Isaac and Fannie Karasov. Isaac's parents, Jehosuah and Betsy Karasov, immigrated to Liverpool between 1901 to 1911.

A partial translation of a section of Itzak Chaim Karasik's marriage record (1903)

It's fascinating that Itzak Chaim Karasik is described in his 1903 marriage record as a "лохвицкий мещанин" (Lokhvitskiy meshanin), a petty bourgeois, the same social class that his namesake grandfather had back in 1870. I wonder if this family tradition of small business ownership is what led William Karasov and his sons to attempt to run general stores and other shops when they immigrated to Canada and the United States. 

William Karasov, his wife Beatrice, and brother Isaac left behind siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins in Russia who may have fallen victims to the Nazis. German soldiers massacred more than 1,800 Jews from Luben at one time in a field outside the town in October 1941, then shot almost 300 Jews in Lokhvitsa in May 1942. Any relatives who escaped the infamous "Holocaust by bullets" likely endured internal displacement in the Soviet Union during or after World War II.


THE KARASOV FAMILY IN GREAT BRITAIN

William and Beatrice Karasov's first son, Jack, was born on February 22, 1891, and while family members say he was born in England, early records indicate he was born in Russia. Jack said in U.S. immigration records that he was born in "Poltava," and the 1911 UK census gives his birthplace as "Alexandrow, Russia." That may be Oleksandrivka, a village in the Poltava area of Ukraine, just north of the Dnieper River.

After first living in Liverpool, William Karasov's family lived in Wrexham (Wales), West Derby, Hanley, Stoke-Upon-Trent, and finally Sheffield. William first worked as a "travelling draper" [tailor], and then became an insurance salesman, while Beatrice appeared in the Sheffield directory as a "picture framer." William and Beatrice had six children:

1. Jack Karasov (born 1891 in Russia?; died 1976 in Minnesota)
2. Peter Karasov (born 1893 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1979 in Los Angeles, CA)
3. Nathaniel Karasov (born 1895 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1977 in Miami, FL)
4. Rosa Karasov (born 1897 in West Derby, UK; died 1946 in Montreal, Canada)
5. Ann Karasov (born 1899 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1946 in Vancouver, Canada)
6. Hyman Karasov (born 1901 in Stoke-Upon-Trent, UK; died 1980 in Vancouver, Canada)

"Rosie Karasov and Sister [Ann]," published in "Jewish World," a British paper (1907)

William Karasov's family quickly assimilated into British society, and as one descendant joked to me they would "dress British, think Yiddish." The family still remained observant, as William became president of a B'nai B'rith chapter in Sheffield, UK in 1908. The older boys appeared in Sheffield's newspapers for excelling in sport. Jack and Pete first gained attention as "excellent players" of soccer and then as wrestlers and boxers, and Nat earned swimming medals.

1907 write-up of Jack Karasov, a "most promising centre-forward" on Sheffield's soccer fields.

Jehosuah and Betsy Karasov and their son Isaac stayed in Liverpool's Jewish section. Jehosuah worked as a newsvendor and Isaac was a carpenter who supposedly had George Harrison of Beatles fame as an apprentice (although technically George was born after Isaac died). Isaac Karasov and his wife, Fanny Hlushkin (aka Freida-Risa Gluskin, 1882-1934), had four children:

1. Tommy Kay (born Abram Karasov in 1905 in Liverpool; died 1970 in Miami, FL)
2. Ellis Kay (born Eli Karasov in 1912 in Liverpool; died 1953 in Liverpool)
3. Sarah Karasov (born 1914 in Liverpool; died 1971)
4. Rose Kay Lora (born Rosa Karasov in 1920 in Liverpool; died 2001 in Miami, FL).

Two traumatic events impacted the Karasov family in 1912. That April, Jack Karasov became the first family member to immigrate to Canada, and his parents and siblings followed over the next 15 months. Then on Sunday, June 23, 1912, Betsy Karasov was admitted into Liverpool's Brownlow Hill Workhouse, by order of the government. Betsy's admission record describes her as age 65, "Old and Infirm," the wife of the news agent "Aceia" (Evseia? Yeshua?) Karasov, and of "Hebrew" religion. She was kept in "surg," perhaps the "female surgical" area. The record notes Betsy had relatives "in America," perhaps showing that losing William's family also meant losing a means of support. At some point Betsy returned to live with her son Isaac, and she died in his home in 1924.

Many of the Karasov family members who stayed behind in Liverpool are buried in Rice Lane Cemetery: Jehosuah and Betsy Karasov, Isaac and Fanny Karasov, and Ellis Kay and his wife Beatrice and only child, Ian Kay (1952-1952). Two of Isaac Karasov's children immigrated: Tommy and Rose.

Tommy Kay (a.k.a. Abram Karasov or Arthur Thomas Kay) left England in 1924 and lived in New York until 1931, when he returned briefly to Liverpool. He then spent the next 11 years in New York and Miami, before entering the USA from Canada by train in 1942. He settled in Washington, D.C. by 1943, where he worked as a cab driver. He was in New York City by 1948, when his sister Rose immigrated there. Within a few years Tommy and Rose resettled in Miami, where in 1958 Tommy married Kentucky-born Jetta Deatrick (1908-1993).

Tommy Kay (born Abram Karasov), 1943 photo on his naturalization papers.

Rose K. Lora, although a distant relation, was always kind and loving, and my family called her "Aunt Rose." A beautician by trade, Rose straddled several worlds in her lifetime: she was raised in a Jewish household, spoke with a British accent, kept close to her American and Canadian cousins, and married a Dominican man named Raymond Lora (a maitre'd) in 1953. Raymond, aka Ramón Lora Camacho (born 1917 in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic; died 1995 in Miami) was the brother of Americo Lora Camacho (1904-1988), the former Dominican Consul General at Miami and a confidant of Dominican President Juan Bosch, an opponent of Trujillo. Raymond and Rose hosted all-night merengue parties in their house in Miami, which my Mom attended and remembered as really fun. Rose left no immediate family, with the exception of Raymond's children from his first marriage.

My Great-Grandma Bess Karasov (left) and Rose Karasov, 1948.

THE TURNER BROTHERS

Beatrice Karasov had at least three known brothers. Her oldest brother, Avisi Tarnarutsky (c.1867-1943), was a tailor who married his wife Chane (c.1880-1948) in Russia. On May 23, 1914, "Owsei Ternarucki," his wife Chane, and their three children, Sure (born 1903), Chaim (born 1905), and Beile (born c.1908) left Glasgow, Scotland on board the S.S. Athenia. They landed in Quebec on June 2, 1914, and Owsei said on his passenger list he was joining his "brother, a merchant" in Springside, Saskatchewan and planning to stay in Canada for 10 years. 

Avisi stayed in Canada the rest of his life, and became naturalized as a Canadian citizen in 1924. At first he Anglicized his name as "Alter," and then used "Arthur Turner." Interestingly, his tombstone only says "A. Turner," along with his Hebrew name, Avishai bar Chaim. He lived in Regina, Saskatchewan from at least 1916 through 1926, kept working as a tailor or furrier, and even opened his own business called City Tailors, which closed within a couple years. 

By 1928, Avisi lived in Winnipeg. Before his younger sister Beatrice immigrated from Canada to the U.S. in 1934, "Avisi Tarnarutky" [sic] gave an affidavit on her birth date, stating, "I am the oldest brother of Mrs. Basheva Karasov now residing in the City of Vancouver," and "to the best of my knowledge, information and belief my said sister Basheva Karasov was born on the 15th day of April in the year 1869 at the City of Lubin, Province of Poltava, Russia."

Avisi died in 1943 in Winnipeg, and his widow Annie died in 1948. They are both buried in Shaarey Zedek Cemetery, Winnipeg. Their children were: 

1. Sarah [Sure] Turner (1903-1982), who married Aaron Henry Ratson (1899-1981) in 1924 in Winnipeg. They are also buried in Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. They had two sons, Nate (1925-2010) and Sherman (1930-2008) and two daughters, Elaine (1934-2019) and Joyce.

2. Harry [Chaim] Turner (born 1905), who lived in Regina through 1925. A certain Hyman [Chaim bar Avishai] Turner (1905-1957) is buried in Toronto, but I'm not certain it's the same person.

3. Bella [Beile] Turner (c.1908), who lived in Winnipeg through 1929, but I don't know where she subsequently lived. 

Beatrice's younger brother, Morris Turner (born May 5, 1876 in Lubny; died 1947 in Sheffield), worked as a tailor and married Betty Segal (c.1882-1948) in 1902 in Stoke-Upon-Trent, England. They settled in Sheffield, and Morris became a British citizen in 1913. Their children included:

1. Herman Turner (born 1903 in Stoke-on-Trent, UK; died 1990 in Salford, UK), who lived in Manchester.

2. Berril Turner (born 1904 in Nottingham, UK; died 1976 in Sheffield, UK), who married Anne Reinshreiber (1908-1992) in 1941.

3. Isabel Shapiro (born 1907 in Sheffield, UK; died 1996 in London), who married Cecil Shapiro (1892-1975) in 1927. They settled in Belfast, Northern Ireland and had two daughters, Mrs. Sandra Stein and Mrs. Cynthia Buchalter.

4. Renee Klavir (born 1912 in Sheffield, UK; died 1982 in London), who married David Klavir.

5. Dorothy Laker (born 1914), who married Stanley Laker in 1947.

6. Eric Turner (born 1916 in Stoke-on-Trent; died 2000 in London)

Another likely brother of Beatrice, Shlomo Tarnarutsky (died c.1900), married Zlatta Chatin aka Zelda Harris (1867-1945). Family lore says that Shlomo was killed by Cossacks. As a widow, Zlatta Turner lived with her children in the Liverpool area. The children of Shlomo and Zlatta included: 

1. Dora Turner (1887-1955), who married Harry Ginsburg (c.1884-1963). Their children included:

1a. Sol Geey (1907-2002), who married Amy (Hannah) Newmark (1907-2002). 

1b. Vera Ginsburg (1926-1994), who married Henry Blumenow.

2. Israel Turner (1891-1946), who married his first cousin Annie Harris (1894-1991), the daughter of Zlatta's brother Barnet Harris.

3. Sophia Turner (1893-1965), who married Harry Jackson.

4. Reuben Turner (1894-1979), who married his first cousin Annie Harris (1899-1998), the daughter of Zlatta's brother Benjamin Harris. 

5. Zelda Turner (1897-1945), who married Solly Wolfson (1896-1973). 


THE KARASOV FAMILY IN CANADA AND USA

As a family with British-born children, it made sense for the Karasov family to immigrate to Canada, but the high cost of sending eight people across the Atlantic Ocean separated the family for at least 15 months.

Jack, age 21, was the first Karasov to leave Liverpool, sailing on the RMS Victorian on April 12, 1912. He happened to be in the North Atlantic Ocean at the same time as the famous RMS Titanic, which left Southampton, England on April 10 and shockingly sank five days later. Jack arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 20 with CAD $27 in his pocket, two days after the RMS Carpathia brought the Titanic survivors to New York City.

Disaster came even closer to Jack, when a major cyclone blew through his new home of Regina, Saskatchewan on June 30, 1912. Within minutes 28 people died, 2,500 people lost their homes, and the entire downtown area became ruined.

The previous day, on June 29, 1912, William Karasov had left Liverpool aboard the RMS Teutonic. William had probably brought his mother Betsy to the workhouse the previous week, and now he was headed to a town destroyed by a cyclone. He landed at Montreal on July 6, 1912 with CAD $35 in his pocket.

The next oldest boys, 17-year-old Nat and 19-year-old Pete, made their separate journeys later that year. Nat sailed on the RMS Victorian, leaving Liverpool on August 30 and arriving at Quebec on September 6, 1912, with CAD $10 to his name. Pete left Liverpool on September 28 aboard the SS Laurentic and arrived at Quebec on October 5, 1912, bearing CAD $12.

Only seven months later did Beatrice and her children Rosa and Hyman make the journey, leaving Liverpool on May 13, 1913 aboard the SS Megantic. They landed in Quebec on May 27, 1913, bringing CAD $30.

Poor 13-year-old Anna was last to leave England, traveling with a 36-year-old insurance salesman named Sidney Goodfellow, who perhaps worked with her father, and who was also headed for Regina. They left Liverpool on June 24, 1913 and arrived in Quebec and Montreal on July 2, 1913. By the time Anna arrived at Regina, the town was mostly rebuilt.

"Sheffielders in Canada" - the start of a 1913 article on Jack and Pete Karasov's boxing careers.

As Regina rose from ruins, Jack and Pete Karasov tried to become prizefighters, using the aliases Jack and Pete Williams. An article published in Sheffield, UK on March 8, 1913 tells with pride that Jack Williams won a Valentine's Day match, taking down a boxer named Kid Haynes with a dramatic punch to the solar plexus. The family story is that Jack went on to become the featherweight boxing champion of Canada. Through Google I learned that Kid Haynes became an infamous Chicago hitman during Prohibition, "Diamond Jack" Alterie, and seven members of his gang died in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929.   

 

"Jack Williams" the boxer, c.1910s. Courtesy of Jack's granddaughter, Sally Jo Karasov.

Jack's prizefighting helped the whole family as they moved from town to town in Alberta and Saskatchewan. As Jack's son Elliott described, William would open a small grocery store and allowed his customers to use credit. When William's distributors forced him to make his customers pay with cash instead, his business suffered. Once the family earned enough, including Jack's prize money, they moved to the next town and opened another store.

Around 1923, William became a naturalized British subject. Eventually, he lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, where in 1927 he joined the pool of founders of the Achduth Association, the city's first Jewish loan society.

William Karasov and granddaughter Phyliss Nemetz (1923), in front of his son-in-law Harry Nemetz's store in Zelma, Sasketchewan. (Source: Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia)

My great-grandfather Nathaniel was the first Karasov to immigrate to the United States: he crossed the border at Sweetgrass, MT on January 2, 1917, and married the following year. Jack and Peter went to Minnesota by 1918, using their boxing name "Williams" on the immigration forms. Rosa, Ann, and Hymy stayed in Canada.

William and Beatrice left Vancouver for the United States and entered Blaine, WA aboard the Great Northern Railway on October 19, 1934. They settled in Los Angeles, where William became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1944 and registered to vote as a Democrat. Beatrice died in Los Angeles on May 23, 1947. William Karasov was killed by a car while crossing a road during a family visit to Montreal on July 29, 1949. Both are buried in Home of Peace Cemetery in Los Angeles.

William & Beatrice Karasov's headstone, Los Angeles, CA. Photo by my cousin David Roniss. 

The older three children of William and Beatrice Karasov immigrated to the United States and the younger three remained in Canada:

Jack Karasov (born 1891 in Ukraine or England; died 1976 in Minnesota), a traveling salesman, married Fannie Gordon (born 1900 in Dusiat, Lithuania; died 1951 in Minnesota) on July 28, 1918 in St. Paul, MN. They first lived in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, where they had two sons, Harry (1920-2002) and Elliott (1922-2014). In November 1923, Jack's family returned to St. Paul, and many of Jack's descendants still live in the Twin Cities. After Fanny's death, Jack married Stefanie Rado (1906-1972) in 1953 and resettled in Miami, FL.

Harry and Elliott Karasov, c.1940

Peter Karasov (born 1893 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1979 in Los Angeles) came into the United States in 1917 and served in the U.S. Army from March to December 1918, reaching the rank of sergeant. He married Cecilia Labofsky (born 1901 in St. Paul, MN; died 1955 in Los Angeles; daughter of Jacob Labofsky and Sara Berger) and had two children, Harvey (1924-2011) and Rosalind. By the mid-1920s, Pete was working in Los Angeles as a grocer.

Left to right: Pete Karasov in his sergeant's uniform, Fannie Karasov, and Jack Karasov, c.1918. Courtesy of Jack's granddaughter, Sally Jo Karasov.   

Nathaniel Karasov (born 1895 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1977 in Miami, FL), a traveling salesman, married Bessie Lillian Davis (1900-1995) on April 10, 1918 in Coeur d'Alene, ID, then settled in Spokane, WA (with intermittent times spent in Saskatchewan, Los Angeles, and Portland, OR), and finally moved to Miami, FL by the early 1950s. They had one daughter, my grandmother Frances (1919-2014).

Nat, Bess, and little Frances Karasov, c.1919

Rosa Mallin (born 1897 in West Derby, England; died 1946 in Montreal, Canada) married Ben Mallin (born 1891 in Kiev Province, Ukraine; died 1979 in Montreal Canada; son of Elia Malinsky) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1920. Read a newspaper article on their wedding. They later settled in Montreal and had two daughters, Marian Adelson (1921-2004) and Pat Coorsh (1924-2002).

Five Karasov cousins c.1923, left to right: Harry Karasov, Elliott Karasov, Marian Mallin, Phyliss Nemetz, Frances Karasov (archives.jewishmuseum.ca)

Ann Karasov Nemetz (born 1899 in Wrexham, Wales; died 1946 in Vancouver, Canada), a prominent "clubwoman," married Harry Nemetz (born 1898 in Svatatroiske, Ukraine; died 1991 in Vancouver, Canada; son of Abraham Nemetz and Toby Pollock) in Rosthern, Saskatchewan in 1920. Read a newspaper article on their wedding. Harry ran an electrical supplies business with his brothers in Vancouver that went under in the Great Depression. Harry then opened his own electric business in 1930 and regained his lost fortune by selling refrigerators and real estate. In the 1960s, Harry was one of 100 people who helped finance the founding of Kibbutz Eilot, Israel's southernmost settlement. Ann and Harry had three children: Phyliss Snider (1921-1999) who married the prominent dentist Dr. Irving Snider (1903-2002), Milton Nemetz (1924-1970), and Alvin Nemetz (1929-2001). Here is a beautiful website on the Nemetz family of Vancouver, BC and more on Harry Nemetz and his descendants.

Wedding portrait of Ann Karasov and Harry Nemetz, 1920 (archives.jewishmuseum.ca)

Hyman Karasov (born 1901 in Stoke-Upon-Trent, England; died 1980 in Vancouver, Canada) never married, but lived with a girlfriend. He always wanted to be an artist, but instead worked for Harry Nemetz's refrigeration business. Hy also served in the Canadian army during World War II.

Left to right: Jack Karasov, Harry Nemetz, Hy Karasov, William Karasov, c.1930s (archives.jewishmuseum.ca)

"C" is for Karasov?
At least three Jewish families living in Great Britain during the early 1900s spelled their last name Carasov, with a C. I don't know how they are related, but they came from Lokhvitsa, Ukraine or the nearby area and lived in places where my Karasov ancestors lived: Liverpool, Wrexham, etc. In all likelihood, these Carasov families were related to my Karasov family.

Simon Carasov (born 1862 in Russia; died 1935 in Liverpool) was a tailor whose Hebrew name was "Shimon ben Sholom HaLevi." He lived in Liverpool in 1901 and Wrexham, Wales in 1911. In the 1911 British census Simon gave his hometown as "Locovitz," which sounds a lot like Lochvich / Lokhvitsa. Simon and his wife Sarah (born 1862 in Russia; died 1949 in Liverpool) had nine children:

1. Abraham Carasov (born 1885 in Russia; died 1941 in Liverpool)
2. Harry Carasov (born 1887 in Russia; died 1964 in Liverpool), who married Rose Jacobs in 1913 and Leah Firestone in 1944.
3. Rebecca Carasov Moore (born 1889 in Russia), who settled in Conshohocken, PA, USA.
4. Sarah Carasov (born 1893), the first sibling to be born in Great Britain.
5. Esther Carasov (born 1895)
6. Solomon Carasov (born 1895; died 1960 in Liverpool)
7. Rachael Carasov (born 1897; died 1978 in Liverpool)
8. Minnie Carasov (born 1900)
9. Millie Carasov (born 1904)

Joseph Carasov (born 1856 in Russia) lived by 1888 in Pryluky, Ukraine, about 50 miles northwest of Lokhvitsa. His family lived in England by 1891, and moved to Wrexham, Wales by 1897. The children of Joseph and his wife Dora (c.1856) included:

1. Samuel Carasov (born 1880 in Russia; died 1955 in Edinburgh, UK)
2. Sarah Carasov, who married Barnett Davies in 1899.
3. Minnie Carasov, who married Samuel Jacobson in 1909.
4. May Carasov, who married Louis Dorfman in 1910.
5. John Carasov (born 1888 in Pryluky, Ukraine; died 1962 in Pinelands, South Africa), who married Lilian Heilbron in 1914 and settled in South Africa.
6. Abie Carson (born Abram Carasov in 1891 in Chester, UK)
7. Archie Carasov
8. Rosie Carasov (born 1897 in Wrexham)
9. Lily Carasov (born 1898 in Wrexham), who married Morris Leibowitz

Eli Carasov (born November 15, 1868 in Pryluky, Ukraine; probably died 1943 in Manchester) was the son of Samoylo [Samuel] and Malka Carasov and probably a brother or close relative of Joseph Carasov. He was a photographer, changed his name to Eli Carson, and became a naturalized British citizen in 1914. He married Rachel Goldstone (born 1876 in Manchester) in 1898 in Prestwich, near Manchester. They first lived in Rhyl, Wales and then Caernarfon, Wales. Their children included:

1. Saul Carson (born 1900 in Manchester)
2. Milly Carson (born 1901 in Prestwich, Manchester)
3. Miriam Carson (born 1905 in Rhyl, Wales)
4. Dora Minnie Carson (born 1909 in Caernarfon, Wales)
5. Eveline Bertha Carson (born 1913 in Caernarfon, Wales)

Another UK family from Lubny, Ukraine has a Carasov connection: Barnet Harris (original surname Chatin; born c.1864 in Lubny; died 1937), was married to Beila (Rebecca) Carasov (born c.1865) and lived in Liverpool by 1892. One of their 10 children, Annie Harris (1894-1991), married a tailor from Lubny, Israel Turner (original surname Tarnaruscke; born 1891), a nephew of Beatrice Karasov.

Lastly, there is also a Tarnarutsky family of unknown relation that immigrated from Lubny to Chicago, IL. Nissan Tarnarutsky (1850-1923), his wife Eva (1858-1927), and their children immigrated to America in 1913, and changed their surname to Tarnoff. Nissan's grandson, Sherwin Tarnoff, published a great website full of Tarnoff family stories and photos.


And finally, a family myth:
My Grandma Frances told me that she heard that her great-uncle was the "right-hand man of the Pasha of Turkey," who fell out of favor "after the revolution." I believe the person she heard about was Emmanuel Carasso, aka Emanuel Karasu (1862-1934), who was not a Russian Jew and my grandma's relative but a Sephardic Jew born in Thessaloniki, Greece (Ottoman-controlled Salonika at the time). While Carasso sounds similar to "Karasov," this Sephardic last name comes from the Turkish word "kara," meaning "black."

Emmanuel Carasso, a notable Turkish politician who is not my relative.

Emmanuel Carasso was an attorney who joined the Young Turks reform movement, which led to a coup that deposed the corrupt sultan in 1908. Turkey was then ruled by the "Three Pashas," and during those years Turks committed the Armenian genocide and fought in World War I on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary. After the founding of the Republic of Turkey, Carasso had a falling out with the dictatorial leader Ataturk and was forced to live out his days in Italy.

Carasso's nephew Isaac fled to Barcelona where he founded a yogurt company, and Isaac's son, Daniel Carasso (1905-2009), brought the company to the United States and made it the world-famous Dannon brand.

Questions? Comments? Please email me at ruedafingerhut [at] gmail.com.