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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Outreach

Thu 12/17/2020 11:50 AM

Beth,

I text messaged this to several people. I included modified versions for Bill Cizmar and Robert Elcik.
John, IV
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I have just discovered the messaging feature here at Ancestry.com.  Imagine my delight that 14 people have connections of potential interest regarding my great-grandfather John Paul Elcik. I am John Paul Elcik, IV and I have a son who also bears this name whom we call “JP.”

My research shows two different families from Europe settled in the late 1800s in Androscoggin County, Maine. Both are Slovak with a Catholic heritage, and both initially settled in Durham, Maine.  I am sharing the following with everyone as I believe a lot of confusion exists regarding the surname Elcik.
The “Elsik” family which I am descended begins with John Paul Elcik (Elsik), and the first documented reference is the United States Federal Census 1910.  I have a cherished photo of the family from that time period I would be happy to share.
  • John Elsik (1866-1941) was married to Mary Pelcarsky (1875-1936). John immigrated to America in 1891, and Mary immigrated in 1896. I have some evidence that he had a brother, Joseph.
My grandfather in the 1910 census spells his, and only his surname as Elsik. Everyone else uses Elcik spelling.
The Ilcik family, which is a different family, maybe related, but the proof of that does not yet exist.  When they arrived in America at Ellis Island, their surname was changed from Ilcik to Elcik. There is a family relationship to us through marriage, but it is not a bloodline relationship.
  • 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 have written several documents on the Elcik family explaining all this in some detail.  I address the issues of spelling: Elcik, Ilcik, Elcik, Elick. These documents and the 1910 family photo are available to all who express interest.  Please email me with your request.
I also have a list of inquiries that are ongoing related to the Elsik and Ilcik families.  Those questions also will be shared. Will you be the one with answers?
Have I have provided enough detail that you want to share information?  I hope so. I am currently writing an eBook called MyCousins with Beth Gamache. Beth is the wife of my 1st Cousin, Jack.  They live in Lisbon Falls, Maine, which I have always viewed as my “home” town without ever having lived there. Auntie Gertrude and Uncle Norman lived at 45 Davis Street, and it is where my family always returned to after living in Guam, Japan, and the Philippines. If you guessed my brothers and I lived in a military family, you would have been right; Dad was in the U.S. Navy.
Warmest regards,
John, IV
Dr. John P. Elcik, Ed.D.
15117 Cloverdale Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33919
Email: johnelcik@msn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jelcik
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnelcik/
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Request for Your Holiday Status?

Thu, Dec 17, 2020, at 10:05 PM
Beth,
What are you and Jack doing for the holidays?
Please enjoy all that you do and be safe.
Warmest regards,
John & Pam
P.S. Did I tell you we found a sister for Lucy Belle? Michelle named the newest puppy Tinker Belle.  The spelling in both cases is vintage Michelle. She and Pam are Disney fanatics going to Orlando every chance they get. I choose to watch the puppies rather than take 20,000-step walks. Lol.
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Photos Can Wait

Thu 12/17/2020 10:48 PM

Dare I say it? Yes, I miss the snow, the light and fluffy kind in Maine, not Ohio’s ice and slush. There is a true story or a myth that says we benefit psychologically from four seasons.  Maine has five; it is blessed with a rainy season.  Does this make you healthier than the rest of us? Perhaps. But then I think of how sore my back used to get when shoveling snow. Sanity returns, and I forget the snow.   

I agree that photos need to wait. However, I’m putting together a list and checking it twice. If I and everyone are not naughty but nice, I will encourage you to volunteer with FindAGrave. Currently, there are more than a dozen requests for photos at Hillside Cemetery.  Did you notice that 3 of the 41 graves in my Virtual Cemetery need the Beth touch? ?

Have fun! Take Jack to a movie and buy popcorn.

John, IV

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Re: Request for Your Holiday Status?

Thu 12/17/2020 11:20 PM

Beth,

We will spend Christmas eve at JP and Ana’s house. Ana’s mom is gravely ill, and we are doing everything we can to make things better for her. She is living with the newlyweds while undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Ouch!

We will follow-up by spending Christmas day at Pam’s sisters’ house. Kathy lives about 10 minutes away from both our house and Michelle’s condo. Her house is big and accommodates more people comfortably. JP and Ana are 45 minutes away, and I refer to visiting them as a trip to Canada. They think I’m kidding. But they are close to where they work, and that counts for something.

I am going to surprise you. I like Tinker Bell (correctly spelled) as a Disney character, but not as a dog’s name.  It comes out “stinker.” Ouch. I have several theories about names. [I once wrote a letter about this. When I find that letter, I’ll send you a copy.] One theory says it is human nature to shorten them. Maybe it is going from three syllables to two or two to one; whatever the metric, we need to make it shorter.  John Paul became JP or, for me only, J is enough. Michelle is “shell.” I use Pam for Pamela.  Beth, John, Jack are all good solid names. ? Lol.

Given all of the above, the dogs are “girls” or the Belle sisters if I need to be formal.  Eventually, you will see how much alike they look. Michelle has the best pictures so I will ask her to send some to me.  Because of the pictures (Chihuahua/Terrier mix), you will understand why I sometimes revert to “big Lucy” and “little Lucy.” Anything but stinker, although that moniker applies to all puppies.

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The Subject of Names Revisited

Thu 12/17/2020 11:34 PM

Beth,
When you create a sweater and use the initials, the result can be inspiring.  John Paul Elcik is JPE, but the common practice is to place an enlarged copy of the surname’s initial in the middle as in:
JEP
I wanted to call JP Jeep. Sturdy, rugged… It never caught on with anybody but me. Lol.
John
P.S. It would be interesting for research to add how individuals were informally addressed in a separate field for ancestry research. Using the first name field for the given name and a nickname is inconvenient at best.