Talac Family Turnopil

[StefanieT]

Hi there,
I am new to this sight and have been reading through many of the post and hope that someone is able to help me..

My name is Stefanie Talac. My Grandfather (Stefan Talac) was born in Turnopil in 1922 (Poland at that time). He was only 16 when he was taken to a labour camp in Siberia. We should have asked him all of this information many years ago as he is now 85 and does not remember some things very well.

I know that he had a sister, Maria, who was about 10 years older than him and died sometime in the 1990s.

His mother was Maria, his father Jan. My grandfather can't remember other relative's names. The name Talac (the L is crossed?) was not a very popular name in Poland/Ukraine and there are very few of us in Scotland. Grandfather seems to remember a cousin going to Canada but I have no information on him.

I had a cousin Oxanna, who came to visit in approx 1994 I think she was my grandfathers G niece, so I know that I have family there.

The main information I am looking for in on my G grandparents Jan & Maria. I believe that Jan was shot by the Russians during WWII for helping someone hide. I know that this is not a myth as Oxanna told us this when she visited. We do not hear from our relatives in Ukraine anymore.

I would be grateful for any information

[Hannia]

Were your GGrandparents Polish or Ukrainian? Were they from Ternopil, the regional town
center, or from one of the local villages in the District or Region?

[StefanieT]

Hi Hannia,

I think they were perhaps from a village. My Grandfather always talks about his Villiage. I don't think it was far from Lviv.

My GGrandparents were polish from what I can gather.

Thanks

[Hannia]

Information is available, but we need to know the name of the village.
There are 1016 villages in the Ternopil oblast/region w/a population of
over a million people. There have been some changes to district and
regional borders since Soviet takeover and later independence. If
only we knew the exact name of his village. It would be ideal if we
also knew the name of the district. Does Grandfather have any of his
old letters?

After World War II, most Poles were relocated to Poland by the Soviets.
Grandfather is probably aware of this.

There are Talac's listed as coming thru Ellis island. Whether these are
direct family is hard to say. If you get the name of the village, I will check
it against immigrant records.

[StefanieT]

Hannia,

My grandfather advises that he came from Ternopil centre.

I am sure that many things have changed in the 68 years since he was home. He still thinks of his home without cars and technology etc. We try to eplain that the Ukraine will have the same modern advances as we have in Britain. He is very set in his ways.

Thanks
Stefanie

[StefanieT]

Hannia,

Please ignore last post.

My Grandfather came from a farm on the outskirts of Ternopil called Chorkov (not sure how this is spelt).

Thanks
Stefanie

[Unbreakable]

Oh – it should be Chortkiv (Czortkow=Chortkov in Polish) – beautiful town (I was born in village near) – but it’s about 60 km south from Ternopil:
Map of Chortkiv, UA by MapQuest