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: Historical Society

Sun 12/6/2020 7:43 PM

 
Please share with Earl how pleased I am.
 
I agree with you that there may not be a headstone. And you could be right about a location other than the cemetery.  Being one of the first to be buried, they may not have picked out the actual land that becomes the cemetery.  I would love to be a fly on the wall when the HS opens. ??
 
John, IV
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Re: Wow!

Sun 12/6/2020 9:30 PM

Mon 12/7/2020 10:12 AM
John, I think you should call the cemetery.  I didn’t know you could call them.  It will be a lot faster considering the HS won’t open for at least a few more months. – Beth
Mon 12/7/2020 10:40 AM
? Beth, I was hoping you would say that. I let you know if this shortcut works. – John ?
Mon 12/7/2020 1:42 PM
John, You do realize most of the time we’re on the same page.  The problem is there are too many pages!! – Beth
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European Locations for Elcik Ancestors

Mon 12/7/2020 7:09 AM

Beth,

Using Pinterest, I just stumbled upon an interesting website that identifies a presumptive geographical location for various Slavic surnames. And for the first time, I found Elcik and, as a bonus, Elsik.
 
 
Ancestral Surname/Villiage & COUNTY
  • Elcik/ Kolonica ZEMPLIN
  • Elsik/ Pravotice TRENCIN
Using this information, I looked up both locations on Wikipedia.
 
Elcik Kolonica ZEMPLIN
Kolonica is a village and municipality in the Snina District of the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia. It has a population of about 600 people. Kolonica is around 80 km east of Košice, lies at the height of 360 meters, and covers 27.181 km². Just east of the village is a Soviet-manufactured one-meter telescope, the biggest telescope in Slovakia, used for observing variable stars.
 
Elsik Pravotice TRENCIN
Pravotice (Hungarian: Peres) is a village and municipality in Bánovce nad Bebravou District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia. The municipality lies at an altitude of 243 meters and covers an area of 6.048 km². It has a population of about 285 people.
 
The site offers a newsletter, and I will reach out to the publisher.
 
These locations may not be the answer we are looking for, but it certainly is worth more research.  What my next step is, I’m not sure.    
 
John, IV
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Cyril and Methodius Church in Lisbon Falls

Mon 12/7/2020 3:08 PM

Beth,

Pam and I tried to call the phone number, but it no longer works. Just so you can see where I got it from, the link is at the bottom of this email.  I guess information never dies on the Internet. Lol.
I then tried to do some research on the Church and its cemetery (mostly using Wikipedia).
We will need access to the HS document to figure this out. The Church was founded just 17 years before John, Sr.’s death and internment.  Without access to property records, ownership of the Church building and the cemetery is unknown.  The story is fascinating so let me share it.
Cyril & Methodius Church in Lisbon Falls (founded in 1923) and Holy Family Church in Lisbon Falls (founded in 1888) joined together to form a new parish. Our Lady of the Rosary Parish was established in 1975 after the Dominicans, who cared for a mission church in Sabattus from 1905 to 1975, transferred it to Portland’s Diocese.
The former St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is located in Lisbon Falls, at the southeast corner of Maine State Route 125 and High Street. It is a large rectangular brick building with a gabled roof. Squat square towers flank the front facade with buttress-style projecting pilasters at the corners. The facade center has a large Gothic arch, in which there are two entrances, each also set-in arches, with a circle-in-cross design above. Atop the large arch is a wagon-wheel rose window, and a cross crests the gable above.
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church was designed in 1923 by Lewiston architects Gibbs & Pulsifer and are an imposing example of a neo-Gothic architecture for a relatively small community. The structure is one-storied of brick with a slate-covered gable roof. Square two-story towers flank the entrance. The main facade is dominated by a huge Gothic arch outlined in stone, which encloses double doors. It is also the only known church in Maine with an association to the Slovak immigrant community. It was dedicated in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is presently home to the Maine Art Glass Studio.
The Slovak community in Lisbon Falls was formed in the 1890s when a group migrated from New Jersey searching for work at the Worumbo Mill and formed a tightly knit social group. Alienated from other well-established cultural groups, they formed their own Catholic organization and raised funds to build this church, completed in 1923. It was formally accepted into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in 1936. The building now houses a studio of glass artists.
I will have to be patient.
John, IV
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Wow. Thank you!

Mon 12/7/2020 8:14 PM

Beth Gamache shared your email address with me as I very much wished to thank you for your help. 

Beth has been collaborating with me on “My Cousins,” an eBook and Family Tree project.  She is the wife of my first cousin Jack, and I am blessed to have her collaboration. In addition to her smart commentary, I also benefit from experts like yourself making contributions. 

I am ecstatic with the obituaries you found for us. The obituary for my great-grandfather John P. Elcik, Sr. is a significant find for several reasons.
  1. The obituary confirms the theory that John, Sr. was buried at St. Cyril Cemetery. Wow!  This is the first documentation we have found to confirm what we thought to be true.  There may not be a gravestone, but armed with this documentation, we know where to look.
  2. It is the first time I have seen the middle initial “P” for John, Sr.  All previous documentation I have is without the middle initial. Somehow this is comforting.
  3. The obituary says that John, Sr.’s father was also named John. This raises an interesting question. Am I really John P. Elcik, IV? or could I and not my son be the 5th generation?
  4. Who is the spouse of John, Sr’s father?  Could it be the mysterious Elizabeth Baron?  I have a Social Security document that I could never explain.  The existence of another John Elcik is one step closer to finding the answer.
Wow!
I can’t thank you and Beth enough!
Thank you!!!
John, IV
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Re: Summary of Research Findings

Sun 12/13/2020 12:39 PM

Joseph [Elcik], 
As you know, I’m working on genealogy brick wall scenarios related to the Elcik surname.
 
You could be of great help in two ways. 
 
First, by any chance, were you able to find a copy of the family tree, and could you share it? I’m writing an eBook (My Cousins) with Beth Gamache about genealogy research, and it would be wonderful if I could get access before that happens. Our target to publish is May 3rd, my birthday.
 
Second, it would be helpful to consider or get a close male relative to consider taking a DNA test and sharing the results. There are sales on DNA testing kits by Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com during the holiday season.  I have taken both tests myself with the hope of using DNA to establish the link between our two families. 
 
The following describes in more detail where I am with the research. 
 
Two families came to America in the late 1888s or early 1900s. Today both families share the Elcik surname, Slovak heritage, and a Catholic background. Back then, the surnames were Elsik and Ilcik.
  • John Elsik (1866-1941) was married to Mary Pelcarsky (1875-1936). John immigrated to America in 1891, and Mary immigrated in 1896.
  • John Ilcik (1886-1982) was married to Mary Jeho Zena Jonek (1887-1951). John immigrated to America in 1905, and Mary immigrated a year later in 1906
I believe that there is a family relationship linking John Elsik to John Ilcik.
Finding the link has proven difficult as the church records in Europe most likely were destroyed in World War II.  
John Elsik (1866-1941) is my Great Grandfather, and Jon Ilcik is part of your bloodline.  
One possibility for finding the link between the two families is through a DNA test between two males, one from each family.
I’m looking to identify someone from the Ilick family who has or is willing to take a DNA test and share data.  
I am hopeful that the inexpensive (less than $100) testing will work. Ancestry.com is currently offering a 40% discount on its $99 test, and MyHeritage has a similar price for their DNA test. I have been budgeting for the best option. When you seek a match between two living men, that is a Y-111 test. Admittedly, this is expensive at $250 for each participant. But I think we can avoid that. 
This is a chance to make history within the Elcik family. If you know someone who might be interested, please contact me. I’m looking for a hero. ?
John
P.S. I know for sure that there is one connection between the two Elcik families. George Elcik (in the 1920 Census) married my Uncle’s sister Anna Gamache.  I this there is more to find. 
Warmest regards,
John
John Paul Elcik, IV
Fort Myers, Florida
johnelcik@msn.com