Looking for russian grandfathers origin?

Question:

Looking for russian grandfathers origin?

hi, 㡮yone know from where in Russia, the last name of Burkowsky, or Buroxhosky comes from?? We are trying to find our grandfather's origin; we know he came from Russia about 1910 or so, but have no idea from where. Thanks ahead of time for any answers.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: If you look at an old map, you'll see that "Russia" in 1910 took in many countries that are independent today - Poland, Finland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, etc. As some of the other posters noted "Burkowsky" is likely a Jewish name - most Jews in the Russian Empire were confined to the area known as the 'pale', what is now Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. Your grandfather is probably, although certainly not definitively, from there.

If there is no family memory of the town he's from (did you ask your parents, uncles, aunts, older cousins, etc.)?, then the best bet is to track down his immigration and/or naturalization records. If he came through Ellis Island, you can check the records on-line (for free). If he became a citizen, you can check his naturalization records (it can take a long time to get them).

Unfortunately, because of the wars, many E. European records did not survive, so you may not be able to get back too far.

Regardless, good luck!