Our ancestry

Some family information comes from handwritten documents or family trees. We have some passenger manifests and vital records to share. Find out more.

Photographs

A lot of family information can come from photographs. Explore our photo gallery to see whether any of our images match yours. Find out more.

Archives

Some online archives such as JewishGen, Ellis Island, and similar resources can hold a wealth of information about emigrating families. Find out more.

Trees

Family trees are one way to organize information about generations and descendants. It's easy to start a tree on your own computer. Find out more.

About Us

Our family origins are in Ukraine, particularly the towns of Proskurov and Zinkov. For obvious reasons our ancestors emigrated to the United States beginning in 1909 and continuing into the 1920s. They settled into Jewish neighborhoods in the Chicago region. The early twentieth century saw some of the greatest numbers of emigrants intent on building a better life in America.

Romance of a People: The First Hundred Years of Jewish Life in Chicago 1833 1933

If you're curious about an immigrant's life in Chicago, click the pulsing blue arrow and watch the video at left.

Contact us!

If you have any questions about this website, please send us an email.

Gallery

Preview our photo gallery! Click the plus icon + on any image below to enlarge it and view in greater detail.

Hyman Lisker and friends in Proskurov.

Hyman is standing at left.

Hyman and Sonia Lisker with their son Bernard.

This photo was taken in Chicago about 1917.

Hyman Lisker.

A portrait taken in Proskurov, Ukraine.

Sonia Bleichman.

She later married Hyman Lisker.

Sonia Bleichman.

She's wearing an amazing hat!

Dora and Jechiel Lisker.

Parents of Hyman in Chicago.

Dora and Jechiel Lisker.

This time a studio portrait.

Sonia Bleichman and friends.

Wish we knew who the friends were!

Mimi Rechel, Sonia Bleichman, and someone's daughter

Label your photos, people!