Author: Dr. John P. Elcik, IV

Dr. John P. Elcik, IV is married to Pamela McClanahan and they have two children: J.P. and Michelle. John is retired from a marketing career for administrative software in Higher Education. His interests include child advocacy (as a Mason and Shriner); animal rescue, education (especially eLearning), mysteries, and science fiction.
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Re: Questions & Answers

 

Fri 10/9/2020 11:13 AM

 

Beth,
 
Thank you.
 
I should have recorded in the Elcik tree that your mother’s maiden name was Goddard.  Maybe, the rule of thumb is to record parents and siblings of cousins and their spouses. If, so I need to do some additional work on the Lucas family, for example. 
 
I’m still of the opinion I don’t want to travel far down the road of your trees.  But I also want enough information so that the reader knows which surname to ask you about. ?
 
John, IV
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Our “My Cousins” eBook

Sun 10/11/2020 8:22 AM

Dear Family,

The conversations I have had these months with you and others are precious to me, so I am reaching out to you today with a small request.
 
I want future generations to enjoy the experience I’ve had researching our family connections. To accomplish this, I am working with Beth Gamache to turn our conversations into a private eBook called My Cousins for family members only.
 
As a member of our family, I would like you to do something easy-to-do.
 
Would you please write a 2-3 sentence descriptive profile of yourself for other family members to read in the eBook?  That and a current picture would be most helpful.
 
Here is my profile as an example.
Dr. John P. Elcik, IV is married to Pamela McClanahan and they have two children: J.P. and Michelle. John is retired from a marketing career in Higher Education. His interests include child advocacy (as a Mason and Shriner); animal rescue, education (especially eLearning), mysteries, and science fiction.
Naturally, if you have pictures or Life Stories you want us to include, we would be most grateful to receive them.  You may also submit profiles and pictures of other family members who are not eBook contributors. Everyone is welcome to be included. Send me an email, and you may also become a contributor. ?
 
We will course make sure you are sent an invitation to read the eBook when complete.  The family tree, pictures, and documentation will also be put on a flash drive. It, too, will be available to you, and as a contributor, it will be yours for FREE.  
 
I do believe that this is a worthwhile project and will be a positive experience for you.  Please join Beth and me.
 
What do you think?  Can we count on you?
 
John Elcik, IV
 
johnelcik@msn.com
15117 Cloverdale Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33919
(561) 543-3626 (Pam’s phone #)
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Beth Gamache’s Introduces John Elcik to Bill Cizmar

 
Mon 10/12/2020 12:15 PM
Bill,
 
Beth Gamache has been trying to introduce us and has just shared your email with me. She is married to my 1st Cousin Jack and is a co-author of an eBook we are writing about our collaboration on ancestry research.
 
I apologize if I missed it; I can’t find any evidence of a Facebook invitation from you. Could you have reached out to one of the other Facebook John Elcik’s? If so, it is just one more piece of evidence that the same name can create identification issues.  This is true in real life, as well as ancestry research. 🙂
  • My Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jelcik
  • John Elcik (my son J.P., V): https://www.facebook.com/john.p.elcik
  • John Elcik (Rocky Point, New York): https://www.facebook.com/john.elcik
I am reachable through Facebook (above) or email at johnelcik@msn.com.
 
Bill, I understand from Beth that we both share interests in Ancestry.  Better yet for me, Beth tells me you know a lot about Lisbon. Beth is so happy that you introduced her to the Historical Society 3 years ago.
 
Our brick wall has been to find a link between two Elcik families and/or “jump the pond” to Europe to locate the 6th generation of our Elcik family.
 
Also, I apologize that this email will be so long. It has allowed me to summarize where we are and clarify our goals.  
 

Background Information

 
John Elsik (1866-1941) married Mary Pelcarsky (1875-1936) through whom I (IV), Dad (III), and John (Jr.) descended. In the 1910 Census, John Elsik identified his surname as Elsik. Elcik is the spelling used for the rest of the family.  John immigrated in 1891 and Mary in 1896. Ancestry and I agree that John Elsik is my great-grandfather.
 
John Elcik (1886-1982) was married to Mary Jeho Zena Jonek (1887-1951). John immigrated in 1905, and Mary immigrated a year later in 1906. He came to America through Ellis Island, and the name was changed to Elcik from Ilcik, as told to his grandson. His son, Andrew J. Elcik (1911-1995), married Jeannie Pascarella through whom many of the “New York” Elcik’s descended. This family includes my “New York” contact: John Elcik.
 
A 1940 Census document for Joseph’s family (sons John J. and James G.) uses the “Elsik” spelling of the Ilcik’s surname. This s particularly significant to us.  This is the first instance I have found of John Elcik (New York) direct relatives using this spelling, which can also be traced back to my Great Grandfather John Elsik, Sr.
 
Thanks to Beth’s research, we know one connection between the New York Elcik’s and us. Their George Elcik (in the 1920 Census) married Jack’s father’s sister Anna Gamache. The is not a blood relationship, yet both my John Elcik (Rocky Point, NY) contact and I think there should be one.  We all come from Western Europe (Austria/Hungry/Slovakia), spoke Slovak, and have a Catholic heritage.
 

Our Goals

 
We all believe the two families are more directly related, if and when, we can “jump the pond” to Europe. I briefly subscribed to Ancestry World Discovery to locate European Ancestors. I also have been trying to find an immigration document.  
 
I am looking hard for a European location to reach out to other descendants of our forefathers. But Europe is a big continent, and I have reached the proverbial brick wall. Individual responses in Census reports on our European origins are nonspecific. How our ancestors identified is as follows:
  • Czech Republic (14)
  • Austria (13)
  • Austria-Hungary (4)
  • Hungary (4)
  • Slovakia (4)
  • Austria-Slovakia (3)
The responses may be due as much to economics and politics as to specific geography.
 
My father always said we came here from Czechoslovakia, but our immigration in the late 1800s came before its creation.
 
As for geographic locations, I have found one reference to Parhovjani S, Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately, I don’t think it exists anymore.  And the literal translations are “parking lot.” Lol.
 
Based on the spelling of Elcik as Elsik in the 1910 Federal Census, I believe the surname spelling to research is Elsik. Or perhaps, Ilcik, if the Durham Elcik’s are relatives.
 
Beth tells me that you might know ways of researching documents, etc. that we don’t.
 
Any tips you have would be very welcome.  In addition to searching for immigration documents, I think a DNA test might help break the brick wall.  
 
It is a pleasure to meet another ancestry enthusiast.  I would like it very much if we can become friends as well.
 
Warmest regards,
 
John
 
Dr. John P. Elcik, IV
15117 Cloverdale Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33919
(561) 543-3626 (my wife Pam’s cell phone)
johnelcik@msn.com
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William “Bill” Cizmar

Mon 10/12/2020 8:06 PM
 
Bill,
 
It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.  
 
Wow! I love your background story and look forward to trying to answer future questions.
 
Also, it appears like you are tackling a huge, complex topic, i.e., all of Lisbon.
 
My little part of the story seems to be tied to a Lisbon Falls Elcik family that mostly stayed in Androscoggin County and a Durham Elcik family that moved to New York.  It isn’t black and white, but that is how Beth and I have been describing it.  
 
What I initially sent you is concentrated around the brick wall we have run into.  If you need more information for your project or help us, tell me what would help.
 
This time I attached a couple of Elcik documents and my favorite photo that might also be useful in your research.  
 
Thanks for the contact information for Deeb Keamy. I’m sure I will find a need to reach out.
 
Regards,
 
John
 
Documents:
John Elsik, Sr. (1868), 1910 United States Federal Census – Ancestry.com
Why We Spell Our Surname as Elcik
 
 
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Are John and Joseph Elcik Brothers?

Tue 10/13/2020 3:04 PM
Bill,
The attached story “Are John and Joseph Elcik Brothers?” and supporting documentation may be of interest.  It is a more detailed examination of the significance of using the Elcik vs. Elsik surname in further research.
Also, keep in mind that the Ilcik surname is also in play if there is a family connection between the Lisbon Falls and Durham Elcik’s. The encouraging note here is that at least one Durham family has used the Elsik surname.
Regards,
John, IV
10/21/2020 Are John and Joseph Elsik Brothers?

The Story:

I think I have proof that John Elcik (Elsik), Sr., my great-grandfather, had a younger brother Joseph.
John Elsik (1866-1941) was married to Mary Pelcarsky (1875-1936). John immigrated to America in 1891, and Mary immigrated in 1896. They had 7 children: John Jr (1896), Michael Joseph (1897), Mary Anna (1899), Andrew (1902), Annie (1905), Elizabeth (1905), and Susan M. (1910). Joseph Elcik (1871-1938) was married to Elizabeth Balnick (1871-1934). Joseph followed ten years later in 1901 at the age of 30. They had 3 children: Annie (1902), Lizzie (1905), and Mary (1908).
If so, this answers the question I put on the research agenda about the possibility of siblings. There was at least one.
My evidence is in the 1910 United States Federal Census:
  • The two men (Heads of Households) are just three years apart in age. John is 42 and Joseph 39.
  • Both immigrated from Austria.
  • Both settled in Durham, Androscoggin, Maine.
  • But the clincher for me is that both men spell our surname “Elsik” for themselves while spelling their children’s names “Elcik.” This can’t be a coincidence.

10 years are separating their immigration to America. John immigrated in 1891 at the age of 23 and Joseph in 1901 at the age of 30. All seven of John’s and all three of Joseph’s children were born in Androscoggin County, Maine.
Both men used the same given names for their three daughters. They must have had middle names or nicknames as they surely played together. The population of Androscoggin County in 1910 was 59,822 (26,247 in Lewiston, 4,116 in Lisbon, and 1,625 in Durham) John, IV

P.S. It has been almost six weeks since this was posted. Today, I found this item on a genealogy site, which bolsters my argument that John and Joseph were brothers. John Paul Elcik, IV – Editor
“In other cases, brothers who lived near each other would sometimes give their children the same first names. The cousins might have gone by nicknames or middle names to avoid confusion during their lifetimes. It becomes more di

“In other cases, brothers who lived near each other would sometimes give their children the same first names. The cousins might have gone by nicknames or middle names to avoid confusion during their lifetimes. It becomes more difficult 100 years later for a genealogist looking to match the right people to the right spots on a family tree.”

 

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U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Tue 10/13/2020 3:46 PM

Beth & Bill,
 
The attached John Paul Elcik document is from a different source (new to me), the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  
 
It is the lost reference to Parhovjani S, Czechoslovakia, as the birthplace for my great-grandfather. At least I think it is. 
 
The birthdates are not the same, Ouch! 
  • Using the 1910 Census, we have John Elsik (Elcik), born 16 NOV 1866 in Austria. 
  • Using the NARA, we have John Paul Elcik, born 28 NOV 1867 in Czechoslovakia. 
Keep in mind that the 1910 U.S. Federal Census information has been considered gold as we have the 1910 family photo that matches family members individual-for-individual. 
 
The NARA document also identifies this great-grandfather’s parents as John P. Elcik and Elizabeth Baron.  If true, am I the fifth John Paul Elcik and not the fourth? I have found references to Elizabeth Baron before and set them aside.  This could be significant, so I am attaching two documents about her.
 
I’m sharing this even as I don’t know quite what to make of the information.  Is this my great-grandfather, or do we have yet another John Elcik?  
 
John, IV
 
John Paul Elcik, NARA – AAD – Display Full Records – Application (SS-5) Files, 1936 – 2007 (Last Names E through G).pdf
1910 United States Federal Census for John Elsik (1868) – Ancestry.com.pdf
Elizabeth Baron (03 FEB 1664), Ancestry Person.pdf
Elizabeth Baron, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 – Ancestry.com.pdf