Genealogy research often presents difficult challenges commonly referred to as “brick walls.” One such challenge has long confronted our family: Can we break the brick wall of Europe and identify our European cousins?
The Fantastic Four
Our prospects for breaking this brick wall were greatly enhanced by a group of individuals affectionately nicknamed the “Fantastic Four.” Beth Gamache and her friends at the Lisbon Historical Society earned that title through their dedication to ancestry research and their generous willingness to help others.
The group includes Beth Gamache, William Cizmar, Earl Williams, and Charlie Hall. Collectively, their commitment to preserving and sharing historical knowledge has been nothing short of a blessing.
The team would soon add a fifth member from the Lisbon Historical Society. Around this same time, a long-standing goal—learning more about the parents and siblings of John P. Elcik, Sr.—finally reached a breakthrough.
Charlie Hall provided baptismal records for John’s siblings and introduced yet another historical spelling of the family surname: Ilycsik.
Deeb Fredrick Keamy
Charlie’s mysterious friend, Deeb Fredrick Keamy, offered critical historical context:
Slovakia was part of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary but was administered by Hungary. The Ilčík family was from Parchovany, Slovakia. In the latter part of the 19th century, the priests in Parchovany kept Hungarian sacramental records. In Hungarian, the surname came before the personal name.
Deeb further reported finding baptismal records in Parchovany for the children of Ilscik János (Ján Ilčík in Slovak) and Erzsébet Bárán (Alžbeta Baran in Slovak):
- Ilcsik György (Juraj Ilčík in Slovak), baptized April 20, 1866
- Ilcsik János (Ján Ilčík in Slovak), baptized December 28, 1867; later known as John P. Elcik, who died May 24, 1941 in Lisbon Falls
- Ilcsik Anna (Anna Ilčík in Slovak), baptized January 31, 1870
- Ilcskik József (Jozef Ilčík in Slovak), baptized November 26, 1873; later known as Joseph P. Elcik, who died May 31, 1938
These baptismal records represented a true genealogy breakthrough. We now had both a verified spelling of the surname and a specific town in Europe to guide future research.
Zlatica Beca
Responding to questions posted on the Ancestry.com Message Boards, Zlatica Beca located the baptismal record for my great-grandfather under the spelling Janos Ilcsik.
She also identified Erzsébet Baron—also known as Elizabeth Baron—on a Social Security claim document. Most remarkable of all, Zlatica reviewed my DNA profile and discovered that we share DNA as fifth- to eighth-degree cousins: 9 centimorgans across two segments.
One long-held goal had been achieved: identifying a European cousin. “Hi, Cousin! Did you notice our tree is named MyCousins?”
Later, I learned that Zlatica lives in Ohio, USA—a small detail in an otherwise extraordinary connection.
Zlatica would go on to be an invaluable resource. As a Slovak speaker, she often had the final word.
Can We Break the Brick Wall of Europe?
We cannot yet be certain, but we are optimistic. By identifying the correct spellings of the surname—Ilyscik and Ilcsik—the odds of success have improved.
Now that we also know to focus our research on Parchovany, Slovakia, those odds are even better.