July 21, 2020
Beth,
My site combines all the trees. Your practice of smaller trees makes better sense. The Skillin (Mom’s side) just blew mine up. Somehow I got a lot of ancient records. I’m investigating. 🙂
You show the father of John P. Elcik, Jr. (married to Mary Byras) to be Andrew Walker Elcik (1925-2000). Working off the 1910 Census, I concluded that John, Jr.’s father to be John Elsik (1866-1941) Sr. What do you think? The spouse for John, Sr. is giving me a headache. Two names: Mary Jonek and Mary Helen Parcheky, are candidates, but dates are part of the problem. Still researching. Several Stories show my journey that can be found in the Gallery on my record.
My current operating theory is that there have been at least three waves of immigrants arriving in America with the same or similar surnames.
- John Elcik (1886-1982) married to Mary Jeho Zena Jonek (1887-1951). John immigrated in 1905, and Mary immigrated a year later in 1906.) Ancestry says John is the husband of a great-aunt.
- John Elsik (1866-1941) married Mary Helen Parcheky (1875-1936) through whom I, Dad, and John, Jr. are descended. In the 1910 Census, he changed the name from Elsik to Elcik for everyone but himself. John Immigrated in 1891 and Mary in 1896. 2 sources verify both immigrations. Ancestry says John is my great-grandfather.
- Andrew J. Elcik (1911-1995) married Jeannie Pascarella through whom many of the New York Elcik’s are descended. He came to America through Elis Island in the late ’30s or early ’40s, and the name was changed to Elcik from Ilcik. Ancestry has found no family links. He could be “stepson of a great-aunt,” I am still researching.
Confused yet? I believe all three families will be shown as related, if and when we “jump the pond” to Europe. We all come from Europe (Austria/Hungry), spoke Slovak, and had a Catholic upbringing.
Another item of interest. The name was spelled Elcik in the 1910 Census but was spelled Elick in the 1930 and 1940 Censuses. The 1950 Census has yet to be published. I need to change them to Elcik as the preferred spelling, but several records may still show Elick. I plan on leaving Elcik, Sr. as Elsik as it is the spelling that I hope to get results with outside the U.S.
I’m showing Andrew W. Elcik, Jr. (1953-2016) as my 2nd Cousin and Andrew John Elcik (1911-1951) as the stepson of a great-aunt. This is an ideal example to show the difficulties that similar names cause us. Andrew J. Elcik (18 Nov 1911-16 MAR 1995) and Andrew John Elcik (26 OCT 1911-04 APR 1951) is an actual research problem for me. Andrew J. is the grandfather of my Elcik contact in New York, while Andrew John Elcik is a known relative. Thus, I have just told the New York John Elcik that I can’t show a family connection, yet. But I am having fun.
I sent you two pictures and 3 documents through the mail. I don’t think documents can be exchanged within Ancestry’s new Messenger service.
John, IV
P.S. Someday, ask me about my DNA story.