Hi Andrea,
I am researching the same time period. My great-uncle was also taken by the Russians for forced labor in 1914, when he was 9 years old. They were from Mariyampil which is near Ivano-Frankivsk.
How old was your grandfather when he was sent to work in Russia? How long was he gone?

The JDC has an archive that documents orphans and  orphanages in eastern Galicia. After WWI, the entire region was awash in orphans who had no means of support. You might try checking out this link:
http://search.archives.jdc.org/notebook_ext.asp?item=5711&site=ideaalm&lang=ENG&menu=1
You should also sift through the documents in the JDC archive.

I hope this helps. I would love to learn more from you about grandfather and his experiences during WWI. It's a somewhat forgotten chapter in Jewish history and I believe it deserves more attention.

Sharon Taylor
Philadelphia, PA

Researching NEMETH, INGIER, UNGER and BLOCH in Mariyampil, Stanislawow, and Knihinin

Researching WIESNER, FLEISIG, and KASTENBAUM in Kulikow and Lemberg