Co-Author, Genealogist, Photographer
Email: beth@mycousins.org
She grew up in Durham, Maine, attended Durham Schools, and graduated from Lisbon High School. Beth graduated from business college in 1969 and married Jack Gamache that same year. They have two children, Loni Beth and Derek Gamache.
When their children were in third and fifth grade, Beth took a position at the local elementary school as an Ed Tech in kindergarten and spent 19 years doing work she loved. Because the teacher she worked with was also Mrs. Gamache, her name was shortened to “Mrs. G.”
Beth is married to Dan Gamache, Jack Gamache’s second cousin.
Beth’s Journey
Beth began her ancestry journey after discovering a second cousin living in Bowdoin, Maine—only five miles from where she lived—someone she never knew existed.
After visiting a cemetery and finding a poster with his name and phone number, Beth reached out and met him at his home. There, she discovered that his mother had compiled handwritten family genealogy long before Ancestry.com existed.
Her cousin allowed Beth to bring home the album his mother had created, and her interest soared from there.
A Shared Journey
Beth spent the next two years working on her family genealogy, beginning with the Purinton surname. She later added the Gamache, Elcik, and Byrus family lines, eventually managing six separate family trees.
Fast forward to 2020, and Beth found herself helping John write an eBook about the Elcik family—her husband’s mother’s maiden name. What an interesting journey it has been.
Not only have these families traveled far geographically, but Beth Purinton Gamache has traveled far in her research as well.