Wed, Oct 14, 2020, at 8:48 AM
Beth,
How are you feeling after your doctor’s appointments? That was a lot to do in one day. We prayed for you.
John, IV
Doctors Appointments
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.
Elizabeth Baron
Wed 10/14/2020 10:50 AM
Beth and Bill,
Could someone be spoofing us with the Elizabeth Baron connection? Even if we are talking about a Great-granddaughter (note the dates), this is weird.
At the same time, I’m not yet willing to let go of Parhovjani S, Czechoslovakia as the place-of-birth for John Elsik, Sr. It is the only clue I have for a European location.
Also, the NARA should be a reputable source of information, wouldn’t you agree?
Am I crazy?
John, IV
My Cousins, A Family Ancestry eBook
Fri 10/16/2020 12:39 PM
Gene,
If the ancestry records are right, I’m your 1st cousin 1x removed. Not that I really understand this 1x removed nonsense. Family is family.
Beth Gamache has just provided me your email and shared that you may be interested in our ancestry research. I hope so. The more interest, the more enjoyable our efforts become.
Beth is married to my 1st Cousin Jack and is my co-author on an eBook we are writing about our collaboration on ancestry research. The eBook is a collection of email, Facebook, and LinkedIn conversations with family and others. The focus of the eBook is on the Elcik surname, but there are many others included.
There are several items you may enjoy with or without participating in the eBook. There is the eBook, the Ancestry.com family tree, and there are documents that I have written. Everything is free. The eBook and the Family tree require logins, so I would ask for permission to send invitations.
Beth may have shared with you some of our documents. If not, I would be pleased to email you some of my favorites.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
John
P.S. As a teaser, I’m attaching a document that shows the Relationship between Eugene P. Elcik & John Paul Elcik IV (me).
Relationship between Eugene P Elcik & John Paul Elcik IV_.pdf
John P. Elcik, IV
15117 Cloverdale Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33919
johnelcik@msn.com
Re: Eugene Elcik, Novelist with a Maine flavor!
Sat 10/17/2020 5:52 PM
Gene,
It is a pleasure to hear from you. Not only are you not the only Elcik remaining in this world; we are thriving under different but related surnames: Elcik, Elick, Elsik, and Ilcik. I’ve attached a document I wrote called, “Why we Spell Our Surname Elcik ” which I hope you will enjoy.
The other two documents are summaries of our research.
Thank you for your historical updates. Your explanation of the Czech Republic makes me marginally feel better about my own failure to locate details about the Elcik family in Europe. I’m still trying. ?
Warmest regards,
John, IV
P.S. You guested right; my degree is an Ed.D. for Higher Education Administration. My career was as a marketing executive for companies selling administrative software for the operation of colleges and universities.
P.P.S. I hear you are writing another book. Keep on WRITING.
Are John and Joseph Elsik Brothers.pdf
Summary of Research.pdf
Why We Spell Our Surname as Elcik.pdf
The Pelcarsky Puzzle
Sun 10/18/2020 11:23 PM
The Pelcarsky Puzzle
We theorize that Mary and Maria are probably different people; however, Marie’s records have become intertwined with Mary’s on some public family trees. We suspect the women could be sisters born 5 years apart in 1870 and 1875, respectively.
They Are Not Sisters
Our sister’s theory was wrong as both birth years apply only to Mary Pelcarsky. The abt 1875 birthdate in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census was an estimate. Her actual birthdate is 6 NOV 1870.
There Are Two Different Women
We were correct that there are two different women. Mary was born in 1870, and Maria Anna was born in 1927:
Mary (Pelcarsky) Elsik was born on 6 NOV 1870 in Austria (or Czechoslovakia). She married John Elsik, Sr. (1866), and they have three sons: John, Jr, Mike, and Andrew; three daughters: Mary, Annie, and Lizzie. The source is the 1910 U.S. Census. She died 23 AUG 1936. This is my great grandparents and family.
Maria Anna Pelcarsky was born in 1927 as calculated from the Ohio Death Index; she died on 12 OCT 1983 according to the same Index; Maria Pelcarsky married Paul Ilcik. They have a daughter Annie Ilcik. The source is the 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala. Paul and Annie are what you and I are calling Durham Elcik’s.
The History Behind 4 Pelcarsky Marriages
Mary Pelcarsky (1870) married John Elcik, Sr. (1866). They both were born in Austria. They have three sons: John, Jr, Mike, and Andrew; three daughters: Mary, Annie, and Lizzie. This is my great grandfather and family. The source is the 1910 U.S. Census.
Maria Pelcarsky married Paul Ilcik, and they have a daughter Annie Ilcik. The source is the 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala.
Anna “Annie” Pelcarsky (1848) married Joseph Paul Karkos (1867). She was born in Austria, and her parents were born in Slavonia. The source is the 11 APR 1921 marriage of Joseph Thomas Karkos and Mildred Aris Alexander. Other sources include the 1900 and 1920 U.S. Census. There could be two relationships between the Pelcarsky and Karkos families. A second relationship is Annie Elcik (daughter of Mary Pelcarsky) marriage to George F. Karkos on 9 FEB 1925.
Mary Pelcarsky (1879) married Joseph Pelcarsky (1874). Both were born in Czechoslovakia. They have two sons: Joe and Edward; three daughters: Ann, Martha, and Rose. The source is the 1940 U.S. Census. There is no known relationship between Mary and the other three. I believe them to be unrelated to us.
The Preferred Spelling is Pelcarsky
- Pelcarsky – Mothers’s maiden name, according to Annie Elcik, wife of George F. Karkos.
- Pelcarsky – Mother’s maiden name on 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala.
6 Alternative Spellings
The maiden name for Mary Pelcarsky is different on the following records:
- Mary Polscoke is John Elcik’s mother on his 20 FEB 1896 birth, Maine Vital Records
- Mary Pelchascay is John Elcik’s mother on his marriage to Mary Byrus (sic), Maine Marriage Index
- Mary Palcsak is Mary Elcik’s mother upon her 4 OCT 1915 wedding to John Dutko, Maine Marriage Index
- Mary Pelesaky is Michael J. Elcik’s mother on his 1 AUG 1930 marriage to Annie H. Sero, Maine Marriage Index
- Mary Polcarski is an unknown daughter’s mother on her 29 AUG 1910 birth, Maine Vital Records
Also, there is Mary Pelchaleky (Marie Pelcarsky) married to Paul Elcik, Sr., Maine Vital Records
Postscript
Yes, this one baffled me for a long time.
John, IV
How Many Elcik’s Are a Lot?
Thu 10/22/2020 1:17 PM
Beth & Eugene,
I’m beginning to question if DNA will help break the wall between our European ancestors and us.
Beth, I told Eugene that there are a lot of us, Elcik’s. I may have been optimistic, however. At the time, I perceived there was a lot based on Google searches. But what number constitutes “a lot”?
I have found a website (forebears.io) that provides a fascinating picture of the distribution of the Family surname by country. Keep in mind that there are at least 3 viable spellings of the Elcik surname to research. And then there is Turkey, where Elcik may be pronounced differently. It also had a specific meaning, i.e., it translates as “zipper.”
The following four links are of interest.
- Slovakia (14), Czechia (1), Elčík Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History: Elcik
- U.S. (240), Hungary (120), Austria (14), Elsik Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History: Elsik
- Czechia (192), Slovakia (155), Ilčík Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History: Ilcik
- Turkey (1,274), Elçik Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History: Elcik
I question whether DNA databanks will have many or any of our European ancestors in them with these numbers. Add this to Eugene’s finding that the Nazi party destroyed most of Europe’s records, and our prospects are slim. He is right. The church kept records of birth, baptism, marriage, and death. Without their records, DNA, I thought, would be the ideal choice. Ouch!
A DNA test may not help us find European “cousins.” If, however, I can get one of the descendants of John Ilick to take the test with me, other information is possible. A secondary goal of my research has always been to see if we can connect the Ilcik and Elsik families.
- John Elsik (1866-1941) is the preferred spelling of my Great-grandfather.
- John Ilsik (1886-1962) is the preferred spelling of John Elcik’s (Rocky Point, NY) Great-grandfather.
A Y-111 test is the best DNA test to consider. It is designed specifically to confirm Y-chromosome matching between two living men. It is $250 each, i.e., more expensive than other DNA tests, so there may not be mutual interest in taking the test. I didn’t agree to it in 2009 when Judy (my friend and DNA expert) asked me to do it. My mistake! I will reach out to Brian, John, Robert, and Stephen on Ancestry.com’s new messenger service to see who might be interested in he is interested. But no social pressure. Lol.
Either way, I intend to take the $99 autosomal DNA test from Ancestry.com at the end of the year when it goes on sale for 40% off. Judy, my friend with Polish ancestors, is hoping it will establish a stronger family link between her and us. She no longer has access to male DNA for testing. Her initial DNA sample came from her deceased father’s hearing aids. It suggested a link, but a more expensive test was recommended, and I wasn’t ready. So, this is our best chance for her and me. This is the only DNA test that Ancestry.com supports for use with its Family Tree website.
I hope this will generate some interest. Here is to hope!
Regards,
John, IV
Re: How Many Elcik’s Are a Lot?
Fri 10/23/2020 4:51 AM
Beth,
I’ve had a night’s sleep and thought more about these distribution numbers. It appears about half of the European Elcik’s immigrated to the United States. Wow! Think of the economic and political forces at work to cause mass immigration.
I wonder how well those that stayed survived versus those that left?
We know from census reports that our ancestors arrived here as day laborers and found work in Maine’s paper and wool mills. We also know that the current generation in the U.S. is “middle class” and college-educated.
What would we learn if we were to visit Europe? Did the circumstances there improve over time? Do they know any more about us than we do about them?
John, IV