The Early Milman Family
Origins
The Milman family traces its roots to Mogilev-Podolsky, Podolia Province, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Avram Shmuel Milman and his wife Sura Leya (Gerber) raised five children—Zisi, Rachel, Hadassah, Chaya Libba, and Dvorah—in this bustling Jewish community. By the early 1900s, pogroms, war, and economic dislocation pushed each branch to seek safety and opportunity in the United States.
Zisi “Alex” Milman (b. 5 Aug 1867, Mogilev-Podolsky – d. unknown)
Marriage & trade. In June 1894, Zisi married Chaia-Liba “Lillian” Fischman (b. 2 Dec 1875), daughter of Abraham Fischman and Gette Cherkas. A master confectioner, Zisi, ran a small chocolate works where several brothers-in-law were employed; family tradition holds that he once supplied sweets to the Tsar.111
War & displacement. After World War I, the factory was confiscated for munitions production, and antisemitic violence intensified. Father and eldest son Abraham Samuel sailed from Antwerp on the Zeeland (arr. 14 Jul 1923) but were detained and deported. Their second attempt on 6 October 1923 succeeded. Lillian followed via Halifax with the younger five children, reaching New York exactly a year later (6 Oct 1924); daughter Sonia had preceded them on 4 Mar 1923. The family settled in Brooklyn, where Lillian died on 30 January 1938 (Washington Cemetery, South Brunswick, NJ). Children:
Abraham Samuel “Avram Shmuel”
Irving
Sonia “Sura Leya”
Max “Motia”
Morris “Moishe”
Rose “Risia”
Harry “Gersh”
Rachel (Milman) Zuckerman (b. ca. 1870s – d. 19 June 1943, East Bradford, PA)
Early life & marriages. Rachel arrived in the United States about 1900, settling first in Philadelphia. She married a Mr. Zimmerman (given name unknown) and later Lazar Zuckerman.
Family & later years. Rachel and Lazar had one daughter, Mantya “Mary” Zuckerman. Details of Lazar’s life remain elusive. Rachel (recorded as Rose Zuckerman) was buried 22 Jun 1943 at Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield, Delaware Co., PA.
Hadassah “Dora/Rose” (Milman) Shecter (b. ca. 1876, Vinnitsa – d. 22 October 1956, Philadelphia)
Marriage & migration. Hadassah married Rubin Shecter (b. 15 Feb 1874, Brichon, now Moldova) in Mogilev-Podolsky. They lost two infants in Russia—family lore says they fell into a vat at their uncle Zisi’s chocolate works. In Apr 1906, Rubin, Hadassah, and their surviving children sailed to Baltimore, then moved to Philadelphia.
Life in America. Rubin worked in a pawnshop and lived part of his life in crime; Hadassah alternated between the names Dora and Rose. Rubin died on 30 September 1948; Hadassah followed eight years later. Both rest in Mount Sharon Cemetery.
Children:
Abraham Samuel
Sandra
Cecelia
Benjamin
Rebecca
Leon
Henry
Chaya Libba “Dora” (Milman) Kaiser (b. Feb 1881 – d. 1 Feb 1951, Philadelphia)
Marriage & separation. Chaya Libba married Peretz “Phillip” Kaiser (b. 27 Dec 1874) in Russia. Phillip arrived in New York on 16 November 1904; documents have not yet revealed when his wife and children joined him.
Residence & family. The Kaisers moved between Philadelphia and the agricultural colony at Woodbine, New Jersey. Phillip died on 4 July 1958, in Philadelphia.
Children: Joseph Alexander; Rebecca “Bella”; Fanny Fay; Isadore Edward; Sara “Sally”.
Dvorah (Milman) Kozminsky (b. ca. 1885 – d. 3 Sep 1949, Philadelphia)
Pioneer branch. Dvorah married Jacob Kozminsky (b. 23 Mar 1877), a tailor from Mogilev-Podolsky. Their family—among the first of the Milmans to emigrate—reached New York on 26 February 1901 and settled in Philadelphia, where Jacob’s shop helped fund passages for later relatives.
Legacy. Dvorah and Jacob raised nine children: Selma, Alfred Samuel, Eva, Herman Hyman, Jennie, Frances, Edward Isadore, Molla “Molly”, and Sylvia. Dvorah died on 3 September 1949; Jacob, on 10 September 1954. Both are buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Collingdale, PA.
Afterword
Across four decades and two continents, the Milman siblings rebuilt their lives in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and rural New Jersey. Some left only faint archival traces, yet each branch contributed to the social and economic fabric of their adopted communities—whether in candy-making, tailoring, pawnshops, crime, or the quiet work of raising the next generation.
