Category: Gamache

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Historical Society

Sat 12/5/2020 5:18 PM
John, IV,
I’m forwarding you 4 obits from my friend at the HS.
  • Mary A. Elcik, 87
  • John P. Elcik, 73
  • John P. Elcik, 76
  • Mary Anna Elcik
My friend at the Historical Society is AWESOME!!!
Beth
Dr. John Elcik
Sun 12/6/2020 3:21 AM
I agree! Beth, these obituaries are wonderful additions.  Obituaries are one of the best sources we get for narrative family history. Thank you! And thanks to the mysterious friend. He or she is nameless. Lol.
John. IV
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Merry Christmas

Sat 12/26/2020 12:08 PM
Beth & Jack,
Merry Christmas.  I trust you both had an enjoyable and safe holiday we did.
I typically don’t reveal Christmas presents, but I have enough Moxie to break that tradition this year.  It is for a good cause.
Beth, you and I have a new domain name for our eBook: mycousins.org replaces mycousins.org. We can celebrate the consistency this gets us.
And for the celebration, my daughter found and bought me bottles of Moxie.
I am over the moon with joy, given the love of family we have experienced this year.
God bless us all.
John & Pam
P.S. With Ana joining our family this year, we read about Nochebuena, and this link was our starting point. ?

 

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Re: Elcik Genealogy

Tue 1/26/2021 11:18 AM
Charlie,
I could easily harbor some feelings of envy for reasons that you might relate to.
All my cousins grew up and stayed in their local hometowns in Maine. The Gamache family in Lisbon Falls and the Lucas family in Old Orchard Beach/York, Maine. For most of my childhood, I relocated every several years. And as an adult, the moves were more often than I would have wished for.
The John and Madeline Lucas family has seven children (my first cousins) and lived in a huge house.  In contrast to my father’s Navy career, I thought I would put down roots in a small town and have a large family. I also wanted a multi-generational home. Lol.
A historical note is appropriate. The large house I envied was the Lucas family home. In August 2012, it became the York Harbor Inn’s newest luxury property: Chapman Cottage and Tavern. It is on my to-do list to stay there someday.
Interestingly, my wife Pam’s family is smaller than mine.  And she and our two children are quite enough. I am grateful that we all live within a few minutes of each other.  If Pam agreed, I would have become a DIY guy and built a “tiny” home. She won’t, and I haven’t. Are you familiar with the concept? That is a significant change in direction. Lol.
John, IV
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Re: Nursery Rhyme

Thu 1/28/2021 11:44 PM
John,
 
That was a wonderful day, and Jack and I loved having everyone at our house.  I’m so happy to have the video!  Thank you for sending it to me.
 
I don’t know if Deeb knows Slovak or not, but I know someone in Lisbon Falls who does.  He told me what the writing on the gravestones means.  I may have told you his name before, Dan Gamache, who’s related to Jack.  His grandmother lived with him and his mom, and she spoke very little English.  Dan learned Slovak as a child and still remembers and speaks it today.  He’s a great resource interpreting the Slovak language.  His dad died young, and he was an only child.
 
Thanks again for sending me the video.
 
Beth
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Re: Suggestion

Sun 1/31/2021 10:29 PM

John,

It makes sense and should make it easier for people to understand the different spellings.  It’s interesting to me the spelling “Ilcik” on the gravestones of your great grandfather and NY John Elcik’s grandfather.  I questioned at first if there was a connection, and my instinct was right.
 
FYI, I put the copy of your dad and Uncle Richard’s video singing the Nursery Rhyme on a flash drive and gave it to Dan Gamache yesterday.  I’m hoping he can interpret the song and the other one they sang into English.  I haven’t heard anything yet and will let you know when I do.  I think he’s the best and possibly only hope of finding out.
 
Fingers crossed that I’m right,
 
Beth
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Slovak Lokše Recipe

All Elcik’s wish they were raised on Slovak Lokše. Instead, it was a special treat.  Auntie Gertrude (Elcik/Gamache) would make this whenever we visited.  And mom learned from her.  We still make it occasionally, whenever Pam is willing to let us mess up her kitchen. This is the best recipe ever. We eat ours with lots of butter. – John, IV

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds potatoes, peeled
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

  1. Cover potatoes with water and cook until tender. Run hot potatoes through a potato ricer. Place into a large bowl.
    Beat butter, cream, salt, and sugar into the hot riced potatoes. Let cool to room temperature.
  2. Stir flour into the potato mixture. Pull off pieces of the dough and form into balls. Lightly flour a pastry cloth and roll out lefse balls to 1/8 inch thickness. Each piece is the full width of the 8-10″ griddle, and no two are exactly alike.
  3. Cook on a hot (400 degrees F/200 C) griddle until bubbles form and each side has browned.
  4. As you stack each, slather butter on each side. The person buttering gets an early taste by trimming an edge, or two, or three. When the last piece is buttered, we all eat.

In a pinch, we have been known to order Norwegian lefse (a Slovak knockoff) online. Mrs. Olson’s Lefse is pretty good. And other options are available at Amazon.com. – John P. Elcik, IV – Editor