Avrum Saranduk: A Central Figure in the Shore–Saranduk Lineage

Avrum Saranduk stands as a pivotal ancestral figure in the genealogical records of the Shore–Saranduk family, particularly the Avrum who resided in Talne (Talnoye), now Ukraine. His repeated appearance across multiple Revision Lists provides critical data for reconstructing the family line. At the same time, distinguishing him from other individuals named Avrum in earlier records raises several open questions.

As far as is known, no oral memories of him have been passed down. There is no preserved yahrzeit and no personal traditions connected to him, other than his identification as the father of Hyman (Chaim Hersh) Shore and Moshe Yankel Saranduk.

Avrum Saranduk in Talne: Documented Across Decades

The most consistently documented Avrum Saranduk, and the direct ancestor of Hyman Shore, is found in the Revision Lists for Talne. He appears as Head of Household across nearly half a century:

1. 1850 Talnoye Revision List: Avrum Saranduk appears at age 26 (b. ~1824), son of Khaim Gersh. His wife Khaya is age 23 (b. 1827). Two children are listed: Malka (age 6, b. 1844) and Gersh (age 1, b. 1849). This “Gersh” later appears as Khaim Gersh (Hyman Shore).

2. 1858 Talnoye Revision List: Avrum is again listed, age 34 (b. ~1824), son of Khaim. His wife Khaya is age 31 (b. 1827). Children are: Khaim-Gersh (age 9, b. 1849) and Moysha-Yankel (age 6, b. 1852). Malka is no longer present.

3. 1897 Talnoye Revision List: An Avrum Saranduk appears as Head of Household at age 75 (b. ~1822), son of Khaim-Gershko. His wife Khaya is 70 (b. 1827), daughter of Mot. Others in the household include grandson Shmariy (Sam Shore, age 28) and a sister, Khana Pysenko (age 65, b. 1832).

Notes on the Records

• Birth-year discrepancy: 1824 (1850/1858) vs. 1822 (1897). Routine for Revision Lists; ages were often approximate. Birth years are not present in the documents - they are derived from the age and year of the record.
• Father’s-name variation: Khaim Gersh (1850), Khaim (1858). Typical double-name/patronymic drift in 19th-century Russian-Jewish records. Also, the 1897 record was digitalized in JewishGen as Avrum Khaim son of Ghershko - but the Russian patronymic is ambigous on this account. Given prevelant Ashkenazi custom it isn’t plausible he would be Avrum Khaim and have a grandson who’s father is Khaim Gershko. It makes must more sense that it’s Avrum Khaim-Gershkovitz and not Avrum-Khaim Gershkovitz.

The Question of Avrum Nikhem of Torgovitsa

The 1836 Torgovitsa Revision List records an Avrum Nikhem Saranduk, age 11 (b. 1825), son of Khaim, living with his widowed mother Khvulya (age 35, b. 1801) and sister Beyla (age 13, b. 1823).

The overlap with the later Avrum of Talne is notable: similar birth years (1825 vs. ~1824), the same father’s name (Khaim), and the uncommon Saranduk surname. This raises the possibility that the two records describe the same individual, with “Nikhem” functioning as a double name that later disappeared from records and family memory.

Issues with the Identification

1. Maternal-name conflict

   • 1818: The earlier Torgovitsa record lists Khaim Gersh, son of Abram, with wife Khaya Leya.
   • 1836: The widow of Khaim is listed as Khvulya, a Slavicized rendering of Khava (Eve).
   • Conflict: If this is the same man, either (a) remarriage occurred between 1818 and 1825, or (b) Khaya Leya and Khvulya represent different names for the same woman—though the forms are not usually equivalent.

2. Missing sister (Talne vs. 1836)

   • The Talne records show Khana (b. 1832) as Avrum’s sister, still alive in 1897.
   • She does not appear in the 1836 household, even though she would have been ~4 years old.

3. Unique element “Nikhem”

   • The name Nikhem appears only in 1836 and is absent in all later records.

4. Patronymic on Hyman’s tombstone

   • Hyman Shore’s gravestone identifies him as “ben Avrum,” with no trace of Nikhem.

Possible Interpretations

Two broad scenarios emerge:

• One Khaim (with complications)

  • The same Khaim appears in 1818 and 1836.
  • Explanations: remarriage (first wife Khaya Leya, second wife Khvulya), or a name-drift confusion.
  • In this case, Avrum Nikhem (1836) and Avrum of Talne (1850–1897) could be the same man, with “Nikhem” later dropped.

• Two different Khaims (parallel branches)

  • The 1818 Khaim Gersh (husband of Khaya Leya) and the Khaim (husband of Khvulya, d. before 1836) were different men, perhaps cousins.
  • Avrum Nikhem and Beyla would belong to Khvulya’s branch, while Avrum of Talne descended from the Khaya Leya branch.
  • This resolves the maternal-name conflict and the missing-sister issue by splitting the families into separate but related lines.

Considering Name Rarity

Part of what makes this identification worth exploring is the rarity of the Saranduk surname. In a small community, the appearance of two separate men both named Avrum Saranduk, born within a year of one another, both sons of men named Khaim, would be unusual. If the surname were something common — such as “Schwartz” — the overlap of name, birth year, and father’s name would carry little evidentiary weight.

At the same time, it is important to note that Torgovitsa and Talne were distinct communities, each with its own Revision Lists. If the two Avrums belonged to different towns, the possibility of them being separate individuals is more plausible. The rarity of the surname makes a connection worth investigating, but the separation of communities prevents certainty.

Interim Conclusion

Because of these discrepancies, it cannot be established with certainty whether Avrum Nikhem (1836, Torgovitsa) and Avrum of Talne (1850–1897) were the same man. Both the “one Khaim” and “two Khaims” scenarios remain plausible.

Connecting to Earlier Generations: Leyb and Khaim Gersh

The earliest record of the surname appears in the 1818 Torgovitsa Revision List, written as “Srondik” (СРОНДИК), later evolving to “Saranduk” (САРАНДУК). The list names Mordko Srondik (age 25, b. 1793), son of Leyb, and Khaim Gersh Srondik (age 20, b. 1798), nephew of Mordko, son of Abram.

A plausible (not definitive) reconstruction:

1. Leyb Saranduk/Srondik – earliest known ancestor.
2. Avrum (son of Leyb) – father of Khaim Gersh.
3. Khaim Gersh (b. 1798) – married Khaya Leya; children may have included Avrum and possibly Beyla.
4. Avrum of Talne (b. ~1824) – father of Malka (b. 1844), Khaim Hersh/Hyman (b. 1849), and Moysha Yankel (b. 1852).

Because of the Khvulya vs. Khaya Leya conflict, this tree must be read as a working hypothesis, not a proven structure.

Avrum Saranduk’s Enduring Legacy

Whatever the precise connection between Torgovitsa and Talne, the Avrum of Talne documented in 1850, 1858, and 1897 is securely identified as the ancestor of the Shore family in America. His son Khaim Gersh (Hyman Shore) was the oldest known Saranduk to emigrate to the United States, where he established the “Shore” surname for his descendants.

Crucially, the records also preserve the memory of his daughters and sisters:

• Malka (b. 1844) — daughter of Avrum and older sister of Hyman and Moshe Yankel; present in 1850, gone by 1858 (likely through marriage or death).
• Khana (b. 1832) — Avrum’s sister, explicitly present in 1897 (Talne).
• Beyla (b. 1823) — possible sister under the Torgovitsa hypothesis (1836).

These women do not reappear in oral history, and they left no descendants carrying the Saranduk/Shore surname. Without the Revision Lists, they would be lost to memory entirely.

Avrum’s story therefore underscores a broader truth of genealogical reconstruction: female family members often vanish from collective memory once surnames change through marriage. Careful attention to census evidence and collateral records allows their presence to be restored and acknowledged, ensuring the family story is not told solely through the men who carried the surname forward.