Category: Slovak

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Re: Joseph Elcik

Fri 8/14/2020 12:00 PM

John (NY),

Joseph Elcik just contacted me through LinkedIn.

“As my father is James Elcik and was the middle, Jack(John) passed away last year and his younger brother Richard passed several years ago. Mother was Rose and Father was Joseph Elcik. Unusual for myself, my mother is Slovakian, and even more unusual, my wife is 3/4 Slovakian. Somewhere with either my father or aunt is an Elcik family tree book. I have only seen it once. If I do come across, perhaps I can copy and send out.”

Joseph had to go to a work meeting, but I’ll keep you posted.

John, FL

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Joseph Elcik

Fri, Aug 14, 2020, at 12:31 PM

Beth,

Joseph Elcik just contacted me through LinkedIn. Given my recent email to John Elcik in New York (I copied you on it), this is almost funny. Lol.

“As my father is James Elcik and was the middle, Jack(John) passed away last year and his younger brother Richard passed several years ago. Mother was Rose and Father was Joseph Elcik. Unusual for myself, my mother is Slovakian, and even more unusual, my wife is 3/4 Slovakian. Somewhere with either my father or aunt is an Elcik family tree book. I have only seen it once. If I do come across, perhaps I can copy and send out.”

Joseph had to go to a work meeting, but I’ll keep you posted.

John, FL

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Catholic Churches


Mon 8/17/2020 12:20 AM

There were two Catholic churches in Lisbon Falls: Holy Family and St. Cyril. Also, there were two cemeteries: St. Cyril and Mt. Calvary. We think Mt. Calvary is the Slovak cemetery. Jack’s mom and dad are at St. Cyril, and most of your relatives as well.

There were many Slovak and French families in town, but their religion was Catholic. Jack’s family went to Holy Family Church, which was considered the Slovak church. Gert was Slovak, and Norman was French.

In talking with Jack, he thinks families decided which cemetery they wanted to be buried in, possibly depending on which church they attended. Hillside was considered the Protestant cemetery, mostly of Protestants, but some Catholics buried there.

It may be a matter of mixed religions within families or couples wanting to get buried together. We honestly don’t know the answer to that.

Either this clears it up or makes it more confusing. I’m going with more confusing!!!

Again, it’s past my bedtime,

Beth

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Emails from Uncle John

Wed 8/19/2020 1:34 PM

Chris,

Yes, there is a brick wall that I’m struggling to break down.

I bought a subscription to the World Explorer version of Ancestry.com and didn’t find it useful.

There is some information on FamilySearch.org, which is the Church of Latter-day Saints website, where they are creating a single worldwide Family Tree. I have put some of our data there in hopes of finding a hint in their research.

I won’t be able to pursue Europe until I can discover precisely where our relatives came. Data there is maintained by individual communities or local churches. Until you have a place to go with the name, any search is doomed to failure.

The Elcik’s in our Family tree can be said to originate from Western Europe. Their responses in Census reports, etc. may be due as much to economics and politics as to specific geography. How they identified is as follows: Czech Republic (14), Austria (13), Austria-Hungary (4), Hungary (4), Slovakia (4), and Austria-Slovakia (3).

Someday I hope to have enough information for at least an online search of European ancestors. That journey needs a hint or two to begin.

I have reached out to my cousins for a suggestion of a town to investigate.

I also may try purchasing copies of immigration documents to see if I can get a place identified.

Uncle John

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Update on Catholic Churches

John,

I reached out to a friend at the Historical Society about the two Catholic churches. He’s our “tech” guy and has over 10,000 pictures on his computer at home and at the Society of Lisbon, gravestone. He’s helped me with so many questions I’ve had, technology shortcuts, etc. He’s my go-to person there. He isn’t on Ancestry but has a wealth of information about computers.

Anyway, he thinks Catholics married other Catholics and Slovaks. They were all Catholic. They would go to the wife’s or husband’s church depending on the dominant spouse. Originally there was only one Catholic church in town, Holy Trinity which is the church Jack’s family attended. All Slovaks attended that church.

Eventually, another Catholic church was built. I don’t know how it was determined or decided who attended the new church but they were all Catholic. Families were buried in either cemetery depending on the dominant spouse. But we can’t forget some Catholics/Slovaks are buried in Hillside which is mostly Protestant. Possibly the dominant spouse was Protestant????

As far as we know, that’s the story, the whole story and nothing but the story.

Beth

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The Pelcarsky Puzzle Kept Me up

 
I have found three significant references to Pelcarsky in addition to Mary Pelcarsky that married my Great Grandfather.  I also reduced the number of relevant documents (unduplicated facts) to three. 

 
# 1 is your trip to Mt. Calvary Cemetary
 
Anna Pelcarsky 17 SEP 1877 – 22 MAR 1940 = Annie M.
Joseph Karkos 23 MAR 1867 – 21 JUL 1957 = Joseph Paul
Albert Karkos 01 MAR 1914 – 31 JAN 1915
 
There is a second son: Joseph Thomas Karkos who marries Mildred Aris Alexander. Mildred Aris Alexander’s parents are Edgar Butler Alexander and Mabel Palmer.
 
[Comment: If it is true that Anna Pelcarsky is our Mary’s sister then this means there are two ties between the Karkos and Elcik families (one generation apart).
 
Anna Pelcarsky (1877-1940) marries Joseph Karkos (1867-1957)
Annie Elcik (1905-1982) marries George F. Karkos (1899-1965)
 
I think this is true, but it would be good to verify with George E. Karkos.]
 
#2 is Maria Pelcarsky who is married to Paul Ilcik and has a daughter Annie Ilcik.
 
Annie marries Andrew Basala on 19 JAN 1911
Andrew Basala’s parents are John Basala and Annie Chismar.
 
[Comment: Whether Paul Ilcik is a Durham Elcik is unverified. I’m also working to find out if Maria Pelcarsky is related to our Mary Pelcarsky.]  
 
#3 is Mary Pelcarsky in the 1930 United States Census (NOT OUR MARY)
 
Mary was born in Czechoslovakia in 1901 and married Joseph Pelcarsky also born in Czechoslovakia.  
 
They have three sons: Joseph, Edward, Emil; and five daughters: Anna, Hele, Margaret, Mary Phillips, Rose
 
[Comment: There are other Pelcarsky‘s in Ohio that I stopped researching once I was sure that this was a different Mary Pelcarsky and her relatives.]
 
John, IV

Maria Pelcarsky in the entry for Andrew Basala and Annie Ilcik, _Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921_ — FamilySearch.org.pdf

Mary Pelcarsky in the household of Joseph Pelcarsky, _United States Census, 1930_ — FamilySearch.org.pdf