Trabin Family circa 1913 in Philadelphia

Welcome to a collection of stories, images, and recordings collected from over a hundred years of our family history. Originating in the Jewish Shtetel of eastern Europe we trace the emigration of the Treivich family of 10 to America in the early 20th century. Spurred by the 1905 pogrom in Mogilev, they were among more than a million Jews that set sail for America, with the resolve to build a new life for themselves and their descendants - us.

Our timeline recounts their adventure in America. But we envision this Trabin family site as much more--a living family tree, nourished by the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those intrepid immigrants. Learn about family you may not know, find stories from ones you do know but may not have heard before, and find additional information that illuminates what you may have previously heard.

Please share your knowledge of family, dates and places. Share your anecdotes and stories, your photos. Upload your recordings, your letters, official documents, etc. It’s designed to be easy, even if you’re not a “techy”, and we're here to help.

The Tips For Use Page provides more information on how to navigate the site and submit material. Access and feel free to send us any messages through the Contact page.

‍May this site be a fun and informative source, a database for current and future generations.Welcome to the Trabin Extended Family story. Your story.

Family Overview

In 1909, Louis Treibich and two of his eight children set sail for America to seek a life of new opportunities free of the anti-semitic oppression they experienced in Mogilev, Russia (now part of Ukraine). A year later, in 1910, Louis was able to send for his wife, Freida and their other children. We can imagine their mixed feelings and the courage and resources it must have required to leave their homeland for unknown prospects across the Atlantic.

Our family initially settled in Philadelphia. They Americanized their surname to Trabin and restarted their businesses in upholstery and furniture manufacturing that they had first established in Mogilev. Their businesses grew but faced severe setbacks during the Great Depression in 1929. Some of the families left to restart their businesses elsewhere, most notably in California.

Today, the descendants from the original family are a cross-section of our modern world. Many are in various professions—engineering, legal, medical, mental health, and others. Some are entrepreneurs who established their own businesses. Many maintain their connection to Judaism, and some have found other paths for spiritual growth. Most of our family members live along the east and west coasts of the United States, and a few live in Israel and central Europe. Several new births in the past few years represent the sixth generation of Louis and Freida Trabin, and the Trabin family name continues on.

In addition to the Origin Story in the initial timeline, we created separate timelines for each of the second-generation children. These other timelines await more narratives, photos, and documents from us to tell our families’ more recent and evolving histories. We can also create additional timelines for further branches and generations that can be populated as more members of our family get involved in developing the timelines.