Puner family

►  See also  • Reb Avraham Elye, "der Got" by Itzhak Konkurovich
• Growing Up in Trashkun by Alter Resnick

The oldest known family member is Meyer Puner, born ~1775 in Lithuania and died ~1840. His wife's name is unknown. The only known child of Meyer Puner is Chaim Lipman Puner, who was born ~1803 in Ukmerge (Vilkomir). Chaim Lipman married Chaya, who was born ~1819 in Traupis, Lithuania, and died in 1896.

The four known children of Chaim Lipman Puner and Chaya:

I.  Riva Puner was born in Lithuania in 1837. In ~1862 she married Yehuda Leyb Bokhur who was born in Lithuania before 1844 and died in Ukmerge (Vilkomir) before 1894. Riva died in Ukmerge in 1889 or 1900.

• The two children of Riva Puner and Yehuda Leyb Bokhur:
• Leyzer Elye Bokhur (later Lazarus Backon) was born in Ukmerge (Vilkomir) in 1862. He married Etla Musha Frank, who was born in Ukmerge in 1860. In 1900, shortly after the death of his mother, Leyzer and his family emigrated to Glasgow, Scotland.
• The seven children of Leyzer Bokhur and Etla:
• Sora Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1885.
• David Meyer Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1886.
• Sheyna Rokha Bokhur (later Backon) was was born in Ukmerge in 1889.
• Liba Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1891.
• Pesa Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1893.
• Leybe Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1894.
• Srol Bokhur (later Backon) was born in Ukmerge in 1896.

• Mordke Bokhur (later Max Bacon) was born in Šalnos (near Ukmerge) on 22 May 1874. He married his first cousin, Rivka Puner (later Rebecca), and they emigrated to New York in 1896. Rebecca died on 4 August 1950 in Ridgewood, New York. Max died on 11 February 1951 in Dade County, Florida.
  PHOTO Max Bacon, his wife Rebecca (born Rivka Puner), and daughters Fannie and Ida
• The three children of Max Bacon and Rebecca/Rivka Puner:
• Fannie Bacon was born in New York in May 1898. She married Joseph Dolinsky, who was born in New York on 12 September 1894, and died in New York.
  PHOTO Fannie Bacon as a child with her parents and sister Ida
  PHOTO Fannie Bacon with her uncle Jacob Puner, Echo Park, NY (1916)
• The three children of Fannie Bacon and Joseph Dolinsky:
• Shirley Dolinsky was born ~1923 in New York. She married Everett Kalb. After his death, she married Nathaniel Kleppel. Shirley died on 4 November 2011.
• Hyman Dolinsky was born 11 May 1927 in New York. He married Beverly and they had three children. He died in New York, New York, on 13 March 2002.
• Morton Dolinsky was born 31 July 1930 in New York. He married Gloria, of Jerusalem, and they had five children. He died 16 April 1994 in Jerusalem, Israel.
• Ida Bacon was born in New York City in March 1900. She died in New York when still a child, on 8 November 1910.
  PHOTO Ida Bacon as a child with her parents and older sister Fannie
• Louis Bacon was born in New York on 3 November 1903. He married Gertrude, who was born 20 January 1917 and died 9 August 1982. Louis died on 22 August 1988 in New York City.

II.  Mortkhel (Mordecai) Puner was born ~1839 in Troskunai or Traupis, Lithuania. He married Sheyna Pesa Ziv, who was born ~1840 in Lithuania. Sheyna Pesa died in 1904, and Mortkhel died in 1910, both in Lithuania.

• The eight children of Mortkhel Puner and Sheyna Pesa Ziv:
• Gita (Gitl) Freyda Puner was born in Troskunai in 1868. On 6 January 1893 in Troskunai she married Leyb Reznikovich (later Louis), who was born in Raguva on 20 January 1866. Gita died in ~1910, and Leyb emigrated to the US in 1913. His three surviving children joined him in New York in 1922-23. Leyb died on 19 February 1927. The eight children of Gita Freyda Puner and Leyb Reznikovich, of whom only three lived to adulthood:
• Liba Reznikovich was born in Troskunai in 1894. She attended gymnasium (high school) in Vilnius, but she died young in ~1917, during World War I.
• Malka Reznikovich was born in Troskunai in 1894. She died as a young child in 1895.
• Shakhne Reznikovich was born in Troskunai in 1896, and died as a child in 1901.
• Chana/Hene Feyga Reznikovich (later Hannah Resnick) was born in Troskunai in 1898. She emigrated to the US in 1923, and worked as a seamstress. Hannah married Nison Weisberg, who was born 24 March 1897. Hannah died in New York on 21 February 1979. Nison died in New York in September 1979.
• Meyer Eliash Reznikovich was born in Troskunai in 1901, and died as a young child on 20 January 1902.
• Sheyna Leta Reznikovich (later Shirley Resnick) was born in Troskunai in 1902. She emigrated to the US in 1922. In ~1929 she married a "landsleit from Russia" and moved to Nicaragua. She died there in the mid-1930s.

• Chaim Daniel (Alter) Reznikovich (later Albert Resnick) was born in Trashkun in 1906. He was probably given the apotropaic name Alter (meaning "old") because three earlier siblings had died very young, and it was hoped that Alter would live to old age. He emigrated to the US in 1923. Officially he took the name Albert, but he was always known as Alter. On 9 June 1935 he married Ida Greenspan, who was born in New York City on 25 May 1911. Alter died on 8 September 1982, and Ida died on 27 April 1997, both in Brooklyn, New York. The three children of Alter Resnick and Ida Greenspan:
• Gail Joy Resnick was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 28 October 1939. On 30 August 1959 in Brooklyn, she married Lewis Henry Rosen, who was born in Brooklyn on 30 August 1959. They had two children. Gail's second husband was Jack Eagelfeld, who was born in New York City on 23 December 1927 and died on 1 June 1989.
• Ronda Resnick was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 26 September 1943. On 22 February 1962 in Brooklyn, she married Robert Glassman, who was born in Brooklyn on 31 December 1940. They had two children.
• Francine Sharon Resnick was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 2 April 1948. In Great Neck, New York, on 7 June 1969 she married Donald Shames, who was born in Brooklyn on 14 April 1947. They had two children.
• Meylakh (Melech) Shapshel Reznikovich was born in Troskunai in 1908. He died in Troskunai in 1919. His brother Alter (born Chaim Daniel) explained in a 1979 interview, "He passed away in Traskun, before I was bar mitzvah, after the war [World War I], while we were running from countries, from city to city, from the gangs, from the Cossacks and other bands that were making pogroms and things like that."

• Abraham Eliezer (Avraham Elye) Puner was born in Troskunai on 15 September 1871. In 1895 in Troskunai he married Michla Tzirla Grinshteyn. Michla was born in Šalnos, Lithuania (near Ukmerge) in 1873. She died in 1929. In 1940, when the Soviets occupied Lithuania, Avraham's grain trade business was nationalized. Avraham was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.
  PHOTO Avram Puner and his wife Michla
  LETTER  “Reb Avraham Elye ‘der Got’” by Itzhak Konkurovich (1988)
• The seven children of Avraham Puner and Michla Grinshteyn:
• Yeshiahu (Yeshua, Yeshike, Shaya, Ovsey) Puner was born in Anyksciai (Aniksht) in 1901. He married Rivka Glezer, who was born in Troskunai in 1903. Yeshiahu and Rivka were killed in the Shoah in August 1941, along with their children. The two children of Yeshiahu Puner and Rivka Glezer:
• Chaim Puner, born in Troskunai on 19 March 1939, killed in the Shoah in August 1941.
• Michla Puner, born in Troskunai in 1941, was killed in the Shoah while still an infant, in August 1941.
• Sheyndl Pesa (Peska) Puner was born ~1903 in Troskunai. She was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.
• Chaya (Chayka) Puner was born in Troskunai in 1904. On 2 May 1934 in Troskunai she married Henech Yuozep, who was born in in 1906 in Siesikai (Sheshik), Lithuania. Chaya was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.
• Shmuel (Shmulke) Puner was born in Troskunai in 1905. He was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.

• Yakov (Yankel, Jacob) Puner was born in Troskunai in 1907. He was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.
• Nechama Puner, the only child of Avram Puner to survive the war, was born Troskunai on 16 January 1910. Nechama married Leyb (Aryeh) Zalk, who was born in Troskunai in 1905. They went to Palestine in the 1930s, and they had three children.
  PHOTO Nechama Puner
  PHOTO Nechama Puner with Trashkuner Zionist pioneers (1930)
  PHOTO Nechama Puner with Trashkuner youth (1930)
• Mira (Mirele, Miriam) Puner was born in Troskunai in 1913. She was killed in the Shoah in August 1941.

• Rivka (later Rebecca) Puner was born ~1872 in Troskunai. Rivka married her first cousin, Mordke Bokhur (Max Bacon), and they emigrated to New York in 1896. Rivka died in Ridgewood, New York, on 4 August 1950. Max died in Dade County, Florida, on 11 February 1951.
  PHOTO Rivka/Rebecca Bacon (née Puner), her husband Max Bacon, and their daughters Fannie and Ida
• The three children of Rebecca Puner and Max Bacon:
• Fannie Bacon was born in New York in May 1898. She married Joseph Dolinsky, who was born in New York on 12 September 1894.   PHOTO Fannie Bacon as a child with her parents and sister Ida
• The three children of Fannie Bacon and Joseph Dolinsky:
• Shirley Dolinsky was born ~1923 in New York. She married Everett Kalb. After his death, she married Nathaniel Kleppel. Shirley died on 4 November 2011.
• Hyman Dolinsky was born 11 May 1927 in New York. He married Beverly and they had three children. He died in New York, New York on 13 March 2002.
• Morton Dolinsky was born 31 July 1930 in New York. He married Gloria, of Jerusalem, and they had five children. He died 16 April 1994 in Jerusalem, Israel.
• Ida Bacon was born in New York City in March 1900. She died in New York when still a child, on 8 November 1910.
  PHOTO Ida Bacon as a child with her parents and sister Fannie
• Louis Bacon was born in New York, New York on 3 November 1903. He married Gertrude, who was born 20 January 1917 and died 9 August 1982. Louis died in New York City on 22 August 1988.

• Meyer Hirsh Puner was born 15 March 1878 in Troskunai. At age 18 or 19, he moved to Šalnos, near Ukmerge. On 7 November 1907 in New York, he married Anna (Chana Yenta) Siegal or Siegel, who was born 15 August 1886 in Ukmerge (Vilkomir). (Chana's father was Itzhak Bokhur, but he took the name Siegal or Siegel when he arrived in the US.) Meyer emigrated to the US in 1901 and settled in New York. Chana/Anna emigrated to the US in 1900. Meyer died in New York on 2 May 1943. Anna died in Silver Spring, Maryland, on 27 September 1966.
• The five children of Meyer Hirsh Puner and Anna Siegel:
• Samuel Paul Puner was born in New York on 21 August 1908. He married Helen Walker, who was born in New York on 8 June 1915. Helen died in Westchester County, New York, on 14 July 1989. Samuel died in Ossining, New York, on 19 June 1996.
• Pauline Puner was born in New York on 16 February 1911. She died in New York as a young child on 29 June 1915.
• Ethel (Yetta) Puner was born in New York, New York, on 12 June 1914. She died in New York as a young child on 10 February 1917.
• Hilda Dorothy Puner was born in New York on 19 February 1916. She married Alvin Lieberman, who was born 7 May 1914. Hilda died on 3 December 2002 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Alvin died on 10 May 2007 in Frederick, Maryland.
• Janice Puner was born in New York on 14 June 1921. In 1997 she married Jacob Herbert Nath, who was born 13 May 1019 in Vienna, Austria. Jacob died on 28 February 2002 in New York. Janice died in New York City on 1 May 2006.
• Rayna Puner was born ~1876 in Troskunai. She married Yakov (Yankel) Nurkin, who was born in Jonava (Yaneve) in ~1875, son of Chonel. Rayna died in Troskunai on 31 March 1930. In 1935 Yakov emigrated to Palestine, where his sons were already living. He is buried in Segula cemetery in Petah Tikva.
• The two children of Rayna Puner and Yakov Nurkin:
• Chaim (Chaim-Lipke) Nurkin was born in 1911 in Troskunai. On 29 April 1930 in Kaunas (Kovno) he married Chana Rubin, who was born in 1910 in Šėta (Shat), Lithuania. This was likely a fictitious marriage for purposes of emigration only. They emigrated to Palestine on 16 June 1930. Thereafter Chaim married his actual wife, Shoshana. Chaim and Shoshana had one son and two daughters.
  PHOTO Chaim Nurkin at reunion of Trashkuners in Israel (1987)

• Mortkhel (Motel) Nurkin was born in Troskunai in 1913. On 28 September 1932 in Kaunas (Kovno) he married Brayne Bavilski, who was born in 1912 in Kedainiai (Keydan), Lithuania. Motel emigrated to Palestine on 11 December 1932. In Tel Aviv in 1934 he married Fruma Efron.
  DOCUMENT Mote Nurkin's Lithuanian internal passport
  PHOTO Mote's wife Fruma (Efron) Nurkin at reunion of Trashkuners in Israel (1987)
  
• The two children of Motel Nurkin and Fruma Efron:
• [daughter] Nurkin married and had three children.
• Rina Nurkin married and had two children. Rina died in 2019.
• Chaim Fayvish Puner was born in Troskunai in 1879. He died in Šalnos (near Ukmerge) in 1903.
• Sora Feyga Puner was born in Troskunai in 1879. She died in Šalnos at age 13.

• Jacob (Yakov Menachem, "Mane") Puner, later Jack Puner, was born in Troskunai on 15 July 1885. He emigrated to the US in 1904. On 12 March 1916 in New York he married Sarah Zuckerman, who was born in Ohio on 9 April 1890. Jacob died in Queens, New York, on 27 December 1948. Sarah died in New Hyde Park, New York, on 9 June 1978.
  PHOTO Jacob Puner with his niece Fannie Bacon, Echo Park, NY (1916)
• The three children of Jacob Puner and Sarah:
• Sherley Pearl Puner was born 11 April 1918 in New York, New York. On 2 September 1942 she married Herman Plasse, who was born in New York on 10 February 1909. They had three children. Herman died on 16 August 2000, and Sherley died on 27 May 2007, both in Great Neck, New York.
• Bernard Louis Puner was born in Queens, New York, on 11 November 1921, twin brother of Morton Puner. Bernard died as a young child in Queens County, New York, on 21 January 1923.
• Morton Puner was born 11 November 1921, twin brother of Bernard L. Puner. On 4 February 1950 he married Adeline Ramoni, who was born 4 February 1924 in Paris, France. Adeline converted to Judaism and was given the Hebrew name Leah. The couple moved to France in 1969 and lived in Saint-Tropez. Morton died on 4 April 1999 in Nice, France.

III.  Meyer Leyb Puner was born ~1846 in Traupis, Lithuania. He married Dvora (Eva) Trupianski, who was born in 1845 and died in 1899. Meyer Leyb died in 1928.

• The four children of Meyer Leyb Puner and Dvora Trupyansky:
• Moshe Eliash Puner was born ~1862 in Traupis. He married Rochel Rivka Vad, who was born ~1862 in Lithuania and died 28 January 1927 in Ukmerge (Vilkomir). Moshe Eliash died in Kaunas (Kovno) on 15 January 1936.
• The eight children of Moshe Puner and Rochel Rivka Vas:
• Nachman Puner was born 5 July 1893 in Ukmerge (Vilkomir). He married Pesha Traker, who was born in Ukmerge in 1893. The only known child of Nachman Puner and Pesha Traker:
• Mera Puner was born ~1925 and died as a child on 15 July 1934 in Kaunas (Kovno).
• Harry Nathan (Lipman) Puner (later Pooner) was born 22 June 1895 in Ukmerge. In 1917 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he married Pearl Wasserman, who was born in "Russia" on 24 May 1898. Harry/Lipman died on 19 July 1966, and Pearl died 15 August 1979, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The four children of Harry/Lipman Pooner and Pearl Wasserman:
• Freda Florence Pooner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 10 September 1918. Sometime before 1941, she married Leon Green, who was born ~1915. They had one daughter. Freda married her second husband, surname Resnick, ~1944.
• Stella Pooner was born in Pennsylvania on 18 December 1919. On 13 November 1943 in Florida she married Thomas John Wholey, who was born 20 February 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They had three children. Thomas died in North Andover, Massachusetts, on 28 February 2000. Stella died in Philadelphia on 13 November 2005.
• Samuel Pooner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 22 July 1921. He married Beatriz Romero Castaneda, who was born in Mexico on 23 July 1930. Beatriz died on 5 February 1983, and Samuel died on 10 April 1989, both in San Francisco, California.
• Edith Pooner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 15 October 1923. She married William Scarpa, who was born in Philadelphia on 1 August 1912. William died in Philadelphia on 23 January 1974. Edith died on 26 July 2000.
• Chaya Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1898.
• Tzirel Leya Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1901.
• Chana Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1903.
• Nechama Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1903.
• Israel Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1905.
• Mordkhel (Motel) Puner was born in Ukmerge in 1906.

• Pesa Rivka (later Bessie) Puner was born in Lithuania in 1868. She married Jacob Yehuda (Itzhak Yakov Yehuda) Shveid (later Swade), who was born in Traupis in 1866. Jacob's earlier marriage to Sora Feyga Kabuz had ended in divorce (finalized 28 December 1894), and their children stayed with Jacob. To help take care of them, he hired Pesa as a housekeeper. Soon he married Pesa, and she became stepmother to Jacob's children. Pesa and Jacob had four more children together. Jacob's emigration date is unknown, but we know that Pesa/Bessie emigrated to the US in 1908 with all but one of the children. The oldest stepson emigrated two years later. Bessie died in New York, New York, on 3 January 1950. Jacob died in Brooklyn, New York, on 27 July 1950.
  PHOTO Pesa Rivka Shveid, née Puner
• Pesa Rivka's three stepchildren, children of Jacob Shveid and his first wife Sora Feyga Kabuz:
• Hirsh Shveid (later Harry Swade and Harry Smith) was born on or about 15 April 1889. He emigrated to the US in 1910. When he first arrived, he lived with his aunt Rebecca Bacon and worked for his uncle Meyer Puner as a peddler. He married Helen Smith and took his wife's surname. Harry died in 1985.
• Ovsey Yokhel Shveid was born in Kupiškis in 1891. He died in Kupiškis as a young child on 11 October 1894.
• Chana (Hene) Shveid (later Anna Swade) was born in Panevezys on 8 May 1895, soon after her parents' divorce. In 1908, when she was 13, she emigrated to the US with her stepmother and step-siblings. On 18 May 1919 in New York she married Samuel Markowitz (born Shmuel Shmerkovich), who was born in Kedainiai (Keydan) on 18 June 1890. Anna died on 29 April 1960, and Sam died on 15 April 1970, both in Yonkers, New York. The five children of Anna Swade and Samuel Markowitz:
• Ruth Vivian Markowitz was born in Yonkers, New York, on 17 December 1920. On 16 June 1946 in the Bronx, Ruth married Elmer White, who was born in Ossining, New York on 1 January 1920. They had four children. Ruth died on 5 December 1980, and Elmer died on 3 September 1991, both in North Tarrytown, New York.
• Seymour Martin Markowitz, known as Sol Markowitz, was born in Yonkers, New York, on 25 June 1922. In Yonkers on 25 May 1951, he married Marylynn Estelle Kahn, who was born in Manhattan on 19 May 1927. They had five children, one of whom died five weeks after birth.
• Dorothy (Dotty) Markowitz was born in Yonkers, New York, on 3 June 1924. On 15 July 1951 in Mt. Vernon, New York, she married David Israel (Irving) Meretzky, who was born in Yonkers on 11 March 1915. David died in Manhattan on 22 December 1983.
• Evelyn Pearl (Chava Pesa) Markowitz was born in Yonkers, New York, on 10 January 1926. On 1 March 1947 in Elkton, Maryland, she married Robert Lane Pettibone. They had one daughter.
• Edward (Chaim) Markowitz was born in Yorkers, New York, on 20 November 1933. In Port Chester, New York on 3 April 1966, he married Judith Baden, who was born in Manhattan on 12 December 1941. They had two children.
• The four children of Pesa Rivka Puner and Jacob Shveid:
• Sora Shveid (later Sarah Swade) was born in Joniškėlis or Panevezys in November 1896. She emigrated to the US with her family in 1908. In Brooklyn, New York, on 15 April 1923, she married married Earle Jordan Lubarsky (later Lover), was born in Lysychansk, near Kiev (now Ukraine), on 25 November 1884. Earle died in New York in December 1965. Sarah died in Jamaica, Queens, New York, in September 1986. The two children of Sarah Swade and Earle Lover:
• Myron Jordan Lover was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 26 July 1924. In September 1954 in West Orange, New Jersey, he married Vera M. Markus, who was born in Germany on 28 April 1929. They had one daughter. Myron died in Mountainside, New Jersey, on 1 April 1996.
• Evelyn Dagmar Lover was born in Ozone Park, Queens, New York, on 31 October 1926. She married Tracy Edward Leden, who was born in Greenport, New York on 1 December 1918. They had one son. Tracy died in East Patchogue, New York, on 9 March 1993. Evelyn died in Westhampton, New York, on 27 April 2006.
• Dovid Gutman Shveid (later David Goodman Swade was born in Joniškėlis (Yonishkel), Lithuania, on 15 March or 27 April, 1898. He emigrated to New York in 1908. In New York City on 17 February 1923, he married Polly (Pearl, Yenta Perel) Klein, who was born in 1900 in London, England. David died in June 1973 in Miami, Florida. Polly died in Clifton, New Jersey, on 10 January 1981. The three children of David Swade and Polly Klein:
• Deborah Swade was born 19 May 1924 in New York.
• Martin L. Swade was born in New York City on 19 May 1929. In September 1954 in Paterson, New Jersey, he married Marion Sieber.
• Ronald S. Swade was born 14 November 1935 in New York.
• Moshe Chaim Shveid was born in Kupiškis, Lithuania, on 15 September 1900. He died in Panevezys (Ponevezh) as a child on 28 June 1907.
• Israel Shveid (later Irving Jack Swade) was born in Joniškėlis (Yonishkel) on 10 April 1903. He was five years old when he came to the US with his mother, siblings, and half-sister Chana/Anna in 1908. In Brooklyn, New York, on 24 March 1929 he married his first cousin Ethel Pearl Puner, who was born in New York on 12 October 1907. Ethel died in Broward County, Florida, on 1 October 1980. Israel died in New York, New York, on 3 January 1990. The three children of Israel Swade and Ethel Pearl Puner:
• Elaine Debra Swade was born in New York City on 18 February 1933. She died in Queens, New York, on 20 Sepember 1933, at less than one year of age.
• Ina Swade was born in the Bronx, New York, on 19 November 1934.
• Judith Swade was born in the Bronx, New York, on 1 September 1939. She died in Queens, New York, on 1 July 1940, at less than one year of age.
• Israel Zalman Puner was born in 1870 in Troskunai. He married Mollie Smith (originally Schmidt), who was born in Divin (now in Belarus) in May 1871. Israel died in New York, New York, on 10 June 1938. Mollie died in Conewango, Pennsylvania, on 3 February 1954. The two children of Israel Puner and Mollie Smith:
• Isaac Puner was born 26 January 1905 in New York City. He died in New York at the age of ten, in December 2015.
• Ethel Pearl (Etta) Puner was born in New York on 12 October 1907. On 24 March 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, she married her first cousin Irving Jack Swade, who was born Israel Shveid on 10 April 1903 in Joniškėlis (Yonishkel), Lithuania. Ethel died on 1 October 1980, and Irving died on 3 January 1990, both in Broward County, Florida. The three children of Ethel Puner and Irving Swade:
• Elaine Debra Swade was born in New York City on 18 February 1933. She died in Queens, New York, on 20 Sepember 1933, at less than one year of age.
• Ina Swade was born in Bronx, New York, on 19 November 1934.
• Judith Swade was born in Bronx, New York, on 1 September 1939. She died in Manhattan on 1 July 1940, at less than one year of age.

• Sheyna (later Sophie) Puner was born ~1875 in Traupis, Lithuania. On 25 October 1908 in Kingston, New York, she married Harry Meyerson, who was born 7 March 1883 in Grodno, now Belarus. Sophie died in Brooklyn, New York, on 1 December 1947. Harry died in Miami, Florida, on 22 January 1975.
  PHOTO Sheyna (Sophie) Meyerson, née Puner
• The six children of Sophie Puner and Harry Meyerson:
• Louis Meyerson was born 31 August 1909 in New York, New York. He died in Boca Raton, Florida, on 19 August 2003.
• David C. Meyerson (later Morrison) was born 29 May 1911. He died in Phoenix, Arizona, on 10 December 1994.
• Morton Meyerson (later Martin L. Myers) was born 13 June 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. He died in New York, New York, on 26 April 1989.
• Herbert Meyerson was born on 1 October 1917. He married Tillie Hannah Levin, who was born in Steelton, Pennsylvania, on 16 January 1915. They had two children. Tillie died in Silver Spring, Maryland, on 2 January 2013.
• Paul Meyerson was born 6 July 1919, twin brother of Edward. Paul married Beatrice Shirley Rechtman, who was born in New York on 14 February 1923. They had one child. Paul died on 4 April 1978, and Beatrice died on 24 February 1991 in Bronx, New York.
• Edward Meyerson was born on 6 July 1919, twin brother of Paul. Edward died in New York, New York, on 28 April 1998.

IV.  Chava (Chavele) Leah Puner was born ~1849 in Troskunai. In ~1872 in Panevezys, Chavele married Chaim Gurwich/Gurwitz, who was born ~1844 in Ramygala, Panevezys. Chaim was a shopkeeper who sold grain and hides. Chavele died in Panevezys on 23 April 1908. Chaim died in Panevezys on 17 June 1924.

• The seven children of Chavele Leya Puner and Chaim Gurwich:
• Hirsh (Naftali Hertz) Gurwich was born ~1874 in Ramygala, Panevezys. He married Liba Musha Horwitz (no relation), who was born in Ramygala in ~1883 to Edel and Sheyna Horwitz. Liba died in Panevezys on 27 February 1920. Hirsh was killed in 1941, presumably at Pajuoste. The ten children of Hirsh Gurwich and Liba Horwitz:
• Sheyna Gurwich (later Sadie Horowitz) was born in Panevezys in ~1902. She emigrated to the US, arriving on 1 June 1923. On 11 May 1927 in Manhattan, Sadie married Saul (Shlomo) Meyerowitz, who was born in Dokshytsy (now in Belarus) on 6 or 8 December 1901, son of Michel and Rose (Alfernowitz) Meyerowitz. Shlomo had arrived in the US in September 1921. He became a US citizen in 1928 and changed his name to Saul Meyers in 1935. Saul died in Brooklyn, New York, on 11 December 1971. Sadie died in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 11 February 1991. The two children of Sadie Gurwich/Horowitz and Saul Meyers:
• Libby (Liba) Meyers was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 26 May 1929. On 28 March 1953 in Manhattan, New York, Libby married married Morris (Moshe) Schnur, who was born in Manhattan, New York, on 31 August 1923 to David and Sarah (Bangel) Schnur. Morris changed his name to Bangel, his mother's maiden name, in 1948. Libby Meyers and Morris Bangel had three children: a daughter and two sons.
• Marvin Meyers was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 7 May 1935.
• Idel Yankel Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 12 November 1903. He died as an infant on 14 May 1904 in Panevezys.
• Chaya Gurwich was born in Panevezys in ~1904. She married Meyer Reznikovich, who was born in Troskunai on 2 February 1904, son of Abram Reznikovich. Chaya was a nurse, and Meyer was a history teacher in a Jewish gymnasium (high school). At the outbreak of World War II, the Reznikovich fled by train to Siberia. The couple's second child was born during this trip. After the war the family returned to Lithuania and settled in Vilnius, where Meyer died in 1975 and Chaya died on 27 February 1990. The two children of Chaya Gurwich and Meyer Reznikovich:
• Misha (Moshe) Reznikovich was born in Paneveys on 24 May 1936. He was a child when the family fled to Siberia. In Vilnius on 29 July 1961, Misha married Alexandra (Shira) Pazhol, who was born in Panevezys on 25 September 1937 to Grigory and Genia (Leibovich) Pazhol. They had one son, David, who emigrated to Israel in 1995. Misha and Shira emigrated to Israel the following year.
• Luba Reznikovich was born in Belarus on 22 June 1941, as her family was fleeing toward Siberia at the outbreak of World War II. According to family memory, the newborn was small and weak, and the family was urged to dispose of her. Her mother, a nurse, refused, and the child survived. She attended university in Vilnius after the war, when the family had returned to Lithuania. In 1963 Luba married Evgeny Berlovich, who was born in Saratov, Russia, when his family also was fleeing eastward at the outbreak of war. His parents were Mordecai and Judith (Vitz) Berlovich in 1941, and they returned to Vilnius after the war. Luba and Evgeny Berlovich had two children.
• Sarah (Sora) Gurwich was born ~1904. She survived the Holocaust and died in Vilnius in ~1956.
• Lipman Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 15 July 1905. He died at the age of two weeks on 30 July 1905.
• Itzik (Isaac) Gurwichwas born ~1908 in Panevezys. He was killed ~1941 in the Shoah.
• Chava Leah Gurwich was born in Panevezys, birth date unknown. She died in Panevezys on 8 January 1910.
• Chava Rivka Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 8 January 1911.
• Mordkhel Idel Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 14 December 1912. He died as a young child on 23 December 1914 in Panevezys.
• Fayvel Gurwich was born in Glubokoye, Belarus, on 17 February 1917. He survived World War II and in 1946 in Panevezys he married Zelda Reshansky, who was born in Ukmerge (Vilkomir) on 5 April 1919, daughter of Hirsh Reshansky. Fayvel and Zelda had two sons, and were divorced in 1974. Fayvel then married Sonya Katz. He moved to Israel. The two children of Fayvel Gurwich and Zelda Reshansky:
• Hirsh (Hertz) Gurwich was born in Vilnius on 26 August 1946. He married Nataly Ivanovich, who was born in Vilnius on 25 January 1952 to Borisov Vladimir Ivanovich and Galiria Semyonova. They had three children.
• Wulf Gurwich was born in Vilnius on 7 September 1953. In ~1982 he married Loretta, and they had two daughters.
• Chana Gurwich, later Anna Horowitz, was born in Panevezys in ~1886. She emigrated to the US in ~1915 and lived in Brooklyn, New York. She worked as a seamstress and never married. She died in Queens, New York, on 8 March 1976.
• Gitel (Shora Gitel) Gurwich, the third child of Chaim Gurwich and Chava Puner, was born in Panevezys, possibly in the late 1870s; other records show her birth year as ~1882 or ~1888. Gitel married Moshe Rafelson, who was born in Panevezys in ~1880, son of Rafael and Bracha Rafelson. Bracha Rafelson died in 1915, during the forced evacuation to Russia during World War I. Moshe died in Panevezys on 16 December 1930. Gitel was killed at Pajuoste in August 1941. The five children of Gitel Gurwich and Moshe Rafelson:
• Abel Rafelson (later Raphaelson) was born in Panevezys on 17 January 1893. In the mid-1920s he emigrated to South Africa and became a watch maker. On 7 April 1935 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Abel married Molly (Malka) Gertie Lazarus, who was born on 6 January 1905 in Cape Town, South Africa, daughter of Harry (Hillel) Lazarus and Pauline (Pesa) Slom. Abel died suddenly in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 12 June 1941, leaving his wife to raise their young child alone. About nine years later, Molly married Nathan Abelson. Molly died in Johannesburg on 9 April 1975. The child of Abel Raphaelson and Molly Lazarus:
• Hilary Rafaelson was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 27 September 1937. In Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 8 October 1961, Hilary married Selwyn Ivan (Shimon Yitzhak) Aronson, who was born in Riverdale, Cape Provice, South Africa, on 16 April 1934, son of Abraham Aronson and Ada Lockertz. Hilary and Selwyn had three chldren.
• Eta Rafelson was born in Panevezys on 6 March 1894. In ~1921 she married Avram Antokolski, who was born in Panevezys in ~1900. Both Eta and Avram were killed at Pajuoste in August 1941. It is not known whether they had children.
• Kopel Rafelson was born in Panevezys on 20 March 1897.
• Bracha Rafelson was born in Panevezys in 1907.
• Leah Rafelson was born in Panevezys in 1913. She became a chalutz (pioneer), went to Palestine in 1933, and worked as a pediatric nurse. In Tel Aviv on 10 January 1936 Leah married Moshe (Moshe Israel Chaim) Alterman, who was born in Kaunas (Kovno) on 12 August 1913, son of Ruven Alterman and Haya Napovitz. His father Ruven had died during the forced evacuation to Russia during World War I. Moshe emigrated to Palestine in 1933, worked as a bookkeeper, and changed his surname to Israeli. Official records show that he was previously married to Rocha Puskelanskaite. This may well have been a fictitious marriage for purposes of emigration only; it was common practice for young people to double up to make maximum use of the limited number of permits. Leah died in Kfar Sabah, Israel, on 4 December 1994. The three children of Leah Rafelson and Moshe Israeli:
• Eitan Israeli was born in Kfar Saba, Israel, on 10 November 1940.
• Tuvia Israeli was born in Kfar Saba, Israel, on 25 November 1946. On 13 August 1970 he married Elana ben Gama, who was born in Acco, Israel, on 4 September 1951, daughter of Ezra ben Gama and Judith Gainboim or Greenbaum. They had four children.
• Haya Israeli was born in Kfar Saba, Israel, on 1 January 1950. On 23 August 1977 in Kfar Saba, Israel, she married Gabriel Amir, who was born on 9 September 1946 in Botoșani, Romania, son of Israel Mir and Sarah Lachman. They had three children.
• Sheva/Sheba (Bat Sheva) Gurwich was born in Panevezys in 1888 or 1889. On 14 March 1914 in Panevezys she married Chaim Lutzno, who was born in Panevezys in 1890. In 1932 the family emigrated to South Africa and settled in Cape Town. Sheva died on 13  October 1936, and Chaim died on 18 September 1969, both in Cape Town, South Africa. The three children of Sheva Gurwich and Chaim Lutzno:
• Elijah ("Elk") Lutzno was born in Panevezys on 17 March 1915. He emigrated to South Africa with his family in 1932. On 4 November 1945 he married Beatrice (Batya, Bessie) Schneider, who was born in Cape Town on 25 July 1925, daughter of Jack Schneider and Jane Moskowitz. Bessie died in Cape Town on 28 January 1993.The three chldren of Elk Lutzno and Bessie Moskowitz:
• Bernice (Sheba) Lutzno was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 7 June 1947. On 16 December 1970 in Cape Town she married Irvin (Yitzhak) Missulawin, who was born in Johannesburg on 22 September 1944, son of Judel Missulawin and Evlyn Lewis. They had three children.
• Ethlynne (Eta Leah) Lutzno was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 31 March 1951. On 22 June 1975 in Cape Town she married Stephen Joel (Shmuel) Brickman, who was born in Portland, Maine, on 9 July 1945, son of Harry Brickman and Sheyna Shleier. Harry Brickman's family had emigrated to the US from Kamajai (Kamay), Lithuania. Ethlynne and Steve had two sons, both born in Johannesburg. The family later moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in the US.
• Brian Lutzno was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 13 January 1955. In Cape Town on 15 July 1984, he married Karin Shelley Schrieber [sic], who was born in Cape Town on 19 March 1954. They had three sons.
• [daughter] Lutzno was born in Panevezys and did not survive.
• Leib Lutzno, later Louis Lutzno, was born in Panevezys on 22 June 1919. He emigrated to South Africa with his family in 1932. On 27 March 1958 he married Sally (Sora) Fried, who was born in Cape Town on 6 May 1932, daughter of Isaac Fried and Annie Chiat. The three children of Leib Lutzno and Sally Fried:
• Barry Steven (Dovid Ber) Lutzno
• Selwyn (Shimon) Lutzno
• Beverly Lutzno was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 4 October 1965. In New York on 28 August 1992 she married Brynn (Ben Tzion) Levy, who was born in Johannesburgh on 13 May 1966, son of Michael Bernard Levy and Shana Sher. On 15 August 1993 the couple had a second wedding ceremony in Cape Town. They later moved back to New York City.
• Abraham (Avram Moshe) Gurwich/Hurwitz was born in Panevezys in ~1890. He emigrated to South Africa around 1915. On 24 December 1916 he married Hilda (Feyga Hinda) Fuhrman, who was born in Darbenai (Darbyan, Drobyan), Lithuania, on 10 December 1893, daughter of Abraham Josef Fuhrman and Sarah Pesa. The couple settled in Lindley, South Africa, where Abram died on 18 September 1941. Hilda later married Leib Edele Efune. She died in Johannesburg on 6 February 1974. The three children of Abram Hurwich and Hilda Fuhrman:
• Joseph Hurwitz was born in Lindley, South Africa, on 5 December 1917. He moved to Johannesburg, where he married Leah Akum on 8 January 1945. Leah was born in Darbenai (Darbyan, Drobyan), Lithuania; presumably she was Joseph's cousin, niece of his mother Hilda. Leah died on 4  December 1971. Joseph died in Johannesburg on 6 July 1992. The three children of Joseph Hurwitz and Leah Akum:
• Allan Michael Hurwitz was born in Johannesburgh, South Africa, on 21 December 1949. On 16 September 1973 he married Brencha Chaimes, who was born in South Africa on 15 September 1951. They were divorced in 1984.
• Bernice (Batsheva) Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 6 October 1954. On 5 February 1978 in Johannesburg she married David Johannes Jacobus Norval, who was born in Johannesburg on 4 April 1953, son of David Norval and Gladys Clarence Wilson. They had three children.
• Lawrence Harold Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 19 November 1963. On 29 January 1989 he married Melanie (Mina) Jackson, who was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 26 November 1963. They had two children.
• Louis Hurwitz was born in Lindley, South Africa, on 10 November 1919. On 1 June 1947 he married Hannah (Chana) Akum, who was born in Darbenai (Darbyan, Drobyan), Lithuania, on 29 July 1924. Hannah was a sister of Leah Akum, who had married Louis' brother Joseph. Hannah died in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 21 August 1981. Louis died in Paul Roux, South Africa, on 29 September 1984. The four children of Louis Hurwitz and Hannah Akum:
• Aviva Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 7 April 1949. On 25 May 1975 in Johannesburg, Aviva married Peter Earle (Wulf Chaim) Mechanic, who was born in Hampstead, United Kingdom. They had three daughters.
• Benita Lynette (Batya) Hurwitz was born in Bethlehem, South Africa, on 26 December 1954. On 2 November 1982 in Johannesburg, she married Max (Leib) Shneier, son of Lionel Bernard Shneier and Jilda Smith. They had one son. Benita and Max were divorced on 22 January 1986.
• Evelyn Freda (Chava) Hurwitz was born in Bethlehem, South Africa, on 26 May 1956.On 4 May 1980 in Johannesburg, she married Ezra Meyer (Meyer Ezra) Berger, who was born in Lichtenburg, South Africa, on 16 March 1951, son of Rubin Berger and Sarah Abrahamson. They had four children.
• Ely (Eliyahu) Hurwitz was born in Lindley, South Africa, on 26 January 1923. In Johannesburg on 7 August 1949 he married Aileen Monica (Chana Menucha) Buchman, who was born in Johannesburg on 16 July 1926, daughter of Hyman Buchman and Tille Freeman. Ely and Aileen and their children's families migrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The three children of Ely Hurwitz and Aileen Buchman:
• Rhona (Rivka) Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 19 July 1951. She married Adrian (Avram) Leon Goodman on 2 February 1972. Adrian was born in Johannesburg on 31 July 1950, son of Joshua Solomon Goodman and Riva Fox. Rhona and Adrian had three children. The Goodman family emigrated to Sydney, Australia, in January 1995.
• Arnold Michael (Avraham) Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg on 31 March 1954. On 23 November 1977 he married Paula Leslie (Pesa Leah) Rothschild, who was born on 20 November 1956, daughter of Bertram Peter Rothschild and Naomie Ethel Joffee. They had two children in Johannesburg. The family moved to Sydney, Australia, where their third child was born.
• Howard Allan Hurwitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 9 February 1958. In Johannesburg on 9 February 1988 he married Carin Jill Segell, who was born in Johannesburg on 10 September 1963, daughter of Herbert Irvine Segell and Siliane Leah Alhadeff. Howard and Carin had one son in Johannesburg before emigrating to Sydney, Australia, where a daughter was born.
• Lipman/Lipa Gurwich was born in Ramygala (Remigole), Lithuana, on 5 May 1888. In Panevezys in ~1918 he married Eta (Ethel) Lichtin, who was born in Troskunai in 1892, daughter of Nachman Lichtin and Rachel Rubin. The couple settled in Kaunas (Kovno). Eta died early in the Holocaust. Lipa was in the Kovno ghetto until July 1944, when the ghetto was evacuated and Lipa was sent to Dachau. He died of starvation in Dachau on 23 November 1944.
  DOCUMENT Yad Vashem Page of Testimony for Lipa Gurwich
• The two children of Lipa Gurwich and Eta Lichtin:
• Joseph Gurwich, later Gurwin, was born in Kaunas (Kovno) on 13 June 1920. In 1936, he was brought to the US by his uncle, Aleck Leitman. On 9 April 1949 he married Rose Greta (Raiza) Brizel, who used the name Rosalind. She was born in Manhattan on 17 June 1923, daughter of Meyer Brizel and Edith P. Neustadt. Joseph died in 2009. The two children of Joseph Gurwin and Rosalind Brizel:
• Laura Gurwin was born in Manhattan on 8 April 1950. On 31 October 1975 in Manhattan she married Robert Stephen (Ruven) Flug, who was born in Manhattan on 18 March 1947, son of Alfred and Fortunee Flug. They had one child, a daughter.
• Eric (Ezra) Brizel Gurwin was born in Manhattan on 2 September 1953. On 8 June 1981 in Short Hills, New Jersey, he married Karen Beth Lehman, who was born in Orange, New Jersey, on 11 August 1955. They had three children.

• Chaim Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 3 June 1926. During World War II he was in the Kovno Ghetto and was sent to Dachau when the ghetto was evacuated in July 1944. After the war he married Pauline (Pesa) Klotz, who was born on 25 February 1925 in Telsiai (Telz), Lithuania, daughter of Sholom Klotz and Simcha Kamm. Pauline spent the war years in the Udmurt Republic in Russia, and returned to Lithuania after the war. In 1990, Chaim and Pauline emigrated to Israel with their children. Pauline died in 2009, and Chaim died on 7 February 2017.
  PHOTO Chaim Gurwich (2007)
• The two children of Chaim Gurwich and Pauline Klotz:
• Etel (Eta) Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 4 January 1947. She married in ~1965 and had one son. In 1974 she married her second husband, Aizik (Isaac) Glezer. Aizik was born in Vilnius in 1947, son of Berl Glezer and Frida Kozhenetz. Etel and Aizik had one daughter.
• Lipa Gurwich was born in Vilnius on 23 April 1955. In Vilnius on 3 May 1979 he married Tanja Solod, who was born in Vilnius on 10 October 1955, daughter of Boris and Lea Solod. They had two children.
• Raisa (Roza) Gurwich was born in Panevezys on 25 September 1896. On 17 March 1922 in Panevezys she married Israel (Yisroel) Kurgan, who was born on 21 August 1893 in Varena (Aran), Lithuania, son of Moshe Leib Kurgan and Adel Segal. Raisa and Israel emigrated to South Africa in 1928 and settled in Cape Town. Israel was a watchmaker who also wrote stories, biographical sketches, poems and fables, and translated Hebrew poems into Yiddish. Israel died on 19 January 1964. Raisa died on 5 May 1971. The three children of Raisa Gurwich and Israel Kurgan:
• Lilian Evelyn (Chava Leah) Kurgan was born in Panevezys on 19 April 1923 and moved to Cape Town, South Africa with her family in 1928. In Cape Town on 19 December 1948, she married Seymour Dubb, who was born on 23 September 1918 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, son of Barney Dubovich and Celia Levine. The two children of Lilian Kurgan and Seymour Dubb:
• Basil Dubb was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15 September 1953. On 17 June 1984 he married Yvonne Victoria Darlene Massey, who was born in Buffalo, New York, on 26 February 1955, daughter of Malcolm Wallace Massey and Victoria Anheliuk. They had one son, and they were divorced in 1989. Basil moved back to South Africa in ~1995.
• Deborah Dubb was born in Cape Town on 27 February 1956.
• Hyman (Chaim) Kurgan was born in Panevezys on 17 June 1924. In 1928 he moved with his family to South Africa. On 1 May 1957 in Cape Town he married Leonia Ursula (Liba Chaya) Kallir, who was born on 6 September 1935 in Lviv, Ukraine, daughter of Karol Joachim Kallir and Albertyna Gruft. In 1979 the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, California. Hyman and Leonia were divorced in 1990. The three children of Hyman Kurgan and Leonia Kallir:
• Teresa Ann Kurgan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 18 May 1958. On 23 September 1986 in Manhattan, New York, she married David Harris Lewis, who was born on 7 June 1949 in Klerksdorp, South Africa, son of Roy Benjamin Lewis and Roma Ruth Gordon. They had two children, a son and a daughter.
• Laura Jean Kurgan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 5 December 1960.
• Martin Kurgan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15 April 1964.
• Isaac (Yitzhak) "Icky" Kurgan was born in Panevezys in 1927, or in Cape Town in 1930. In Cape Town on 29 June 1958 he married Avriel Zerne (Sara) Chait, who was born in Cape Town on 27 December 1938, daughter of Louis Chait and Iris Beryl Berger Modlin. The three children of "Icky" Kurgan and Avriel Chait:
• Anna (Chana) Kurgan was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 11 September 1963.
• Judith (Yehudit) Kurgan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 17 May 1965.
• Daniel (Yisroel Daniel) Kurgan was born in Cape Town on 29 April 1970.

Puner Family Tree (Geni)

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• Compiled by Johanna Kovitz with research by Jonathan Levine and information from the Bernard Margolis archive, generously supplied by Jeff Meyerson
• © 2019 Jonathan Levine & Johanna Kovitz
• Updated August 2023