about

Ourchives

A research nerd that uses my powers for good by connecting you to your ancestors and their stories.

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Me and my siblings

core values

Respect - Curiosity - Integrity - Empathy

Respect

Every name, every date, and every "Wait? I have an uncle Danny?" holds significance. I dig through dusty archives with the grace of a history-loving detective, ensuring your family's story is told with authenticity and truth.

Curiosity

With a curiosity as relentless as a kid with a 'Why?' phase, I unearth hidden stories and tales juicier than Aunt Karen's secret meatloaf recipe. I'll introduce you to ancestors who might've invented the wheel—or just rolled with the punches.

Integrity

Upholding the truth is my pledge. I deliver your family's rich history, one eyebrow-raising fact at a time. (Spoiler: Great-great-grandma was quite the rebel.)

Empathy

Navigating the emotional rollercoaster of your family's past? Been there, felt that. With empathy as deep as Grandpa Joe's love for his lucky fishing hat, I guide you through the tales, tears, and occasional "Wait, we're related to WHO?" moments of your ancestry journey.

Movsha Tiger, my great grandfather

Is TIGER REALLY YOUR LAST NAME?

Roll call at the beginning of class was always my favorite. Hearing my last name out loud and knowing my fellow students were going to as me about my family name was thrilling for a 9 year old. Now that I am a storyteller + performer people often ask me if “Tiger” is a stage name.

”It’s really Tiger” I answer. However, for most of my life I didn’t know where it came from or the history behind it. In fact, it was the curiosity behind the origin of my name is what kicked off using my research skills to learn more.

My 5th great grandfathers name was Wulf son of Benjamin. At the time, the Jewish people of the Russian empire were simply known as “son of” or “daughter of”. They typically did not use last names.

This all changed in the late 1700’s. When they were forced to take last names. The bad news? It was so they could be taxed and drafted into the Russian military. The good news? They were able to select their own last name. Many selected names based off nature, their profession, where they lived, or their physical appearance. For example, the last name Schneider means “tailor”. The last name Blum means “flower”. The last name Berliner means someone from Berlin, and the last name Rothman means “redhead”.

In 1798, my 5th great grandfather, Wulf, son of Benjamin, chose the last name Tiger, becoming Wulf Tiger. Which I can’t help but think was entirely on purpose and pretty darn bad a**.

When I discovered this incredible story in my tree, from over 226 years ago, I never wanted it to be lost again. I became obsessed with finding more stories in my roots as well as for friends. Ourchives.co was born.

hey, i’m Joanna Tiger

Researcher + Storyteller

I can’t wait to introduce you to your ancestors and the plot twists in your family tree.

Read my Diary

  • NERD

    I hated math + science growing up. It took me 5x longer than the rest of the class to do my homework in these subjects. It wasn’t until college that I found a love for science when I first started doing lab research. If you told 9 year old me that I’d have degrees in Biology + Chemistry, she’d think you hit your head…hard.

  • Business owner

    I founded and ran a photography business for 14 years along side my best friend. We had studios in over 26 cities in the US. I have always loved weaving together stories be it in writing, on stage, through a camera lens, or with ancestry.

  • Storyteller

    I have trained at several theatre’s including Second City in Chicago and UCB and the Magnet Theatre in NYC. I am an improviser and storyteller. You’ll find me performing across various stage in the city.

  • Lifting

    I love lifting weights! (This is not to be confused with working out). I like to lift heavy! But if you put me in a cardio class I will curse the entire time. Weight lifting = yes. Cardio = no. If you have a cardio class you love, please share it with me. I am always looking for “the one”.

  • Housewives

    I am a Real Housewives junky. I watch every season of all franchises and am always looking to talk about the recent episodes. I also love 90 Day fiance, but can’t ever figure out what version I am watching. TLC you gotta stop with all of the spin-offs! If you watch ‘em too, lemme know your favorite!

  • Improviser

    I absolutely love creating on stage with others entirely from scratch. Deeply curious I love the idea that if you bring one idea, similar to a brick, together you can build a house. It may be an upside down dog house big enough to house Willie Wonka, but it’s created together and built one brick at a time.

Let’s connect

Your ancestors called—they have some stories to share, and they're not all about life before the telephone.

explore services

Step into the time machine of your family's past. From meeting your long-lost ancestors to decoding those 'mystery genes' in your medical history, I’ve got the scoop—and maybe a few family secrets to spill.

Let's make your family tree the talk of the reunion!