Was Ukraine part of Russia between 1860-1880?
Hi, Eric! Ukraine was a part of Russia (Moscow Russia and then Russian Empire and then after the revolution of 1917 a part of the USSR) from about mid 17th century up to 1991. It’s difficult to say for sure whether your great great grandfather was Ukrainian. You might find it out if you know what was his family name and religion. It’s important to know since there was a considerable flow of Jewish population out of the Russian Empire to the States and Canada during the period you are writing about (second half of the 19 century). He easily could be a Polish as well – there were a few Polish uprisings against Russia around the same time (Poland was a part of the Russian Empire too) after which a lot of Poles immigrated to Europe and Americas. If you had some basic facts about your relative’s life (surname and religion at least) we would guess his ethnicity with higher probability.
