Tarshish from Zosli and Vievis

There are two branches of the Tarshish family of which I am aware - the descendants of Meyer Tarshish and the descendants of Bessie and Aharon ha Levi Tarshish. I am unsure as to the relationship but it is likely that they were either brothers or first cousins.

The families settled in the villages (stetls) of Zhosli and Vievis which are approximately one-third of the way between Vilnius and Kaunas and just north of the road that links those cities.

A modern map showing Zoslia (Zhosli) and Vieviai (Vievis) is pasted below.Zhosli is marked with the red star, Vievis is about where the A1 sign is.

On the Tarshish side, I can trace my roots back to my Great, Great, Great Grandfather Meyer Tarshish who was born in Zhosli in about 1810.

Meyer had various children including Zvi Hirsch and Barnett, Abraham,Isaac and Israel. Most of these children emigrated to England at some time in the 1860s or 70s.

I am not sure when or if Zvi Hirsch (my great, great grandfather0 came to England but if he did it would have been after 1872, as Marks Tarshish, my great grandfather, was definitely born in Zhosli.

The Tarshish clan all seemed to have settled in Lancashire, predominately around Wigan, Prestwich, Liverpool, Manchester and Southport.

Several members of the family emigrated to the United States in the 1900s arriving in New York via Ellis Island.

The family changed the name from Tarshish to Tarsh at some point in the inter-war period.

The family stayed in the Liverpool/Wigan area for many years and , indeed, my grandmother Marjorie Tarshish lived there right up to , and including, her marriage in 1923.