My family came her from Russia in about 1912, at least my grandfather. No one is now alive to talk more about it, but his last name was Potapenok, extremely close to Potapenko, which is the name some of his cousins thought the last name was. My name, changed by my grandfather, was changed to Palank probably when he arrived here. Is it possible we ar related. The family supposedly came from Belarus. That said, my grandfather was a crafty person who may have changed faith before or after his arrival. We don't know. Is Potapenko a Jewish name typically? Or could it be Russian, Ukranian (what I think)? Any thoughts would be appreciated. I was born in the US in 1951 and my sibling and I have been searching the truth for years, as our father, who would have had information, passed away when we were all very young.
contact at
cynpalank@gmail.com Thanks!