Category: – Dr. John Elcik, IV

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Re: A Data Entry Question

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Suggestion

Sun 1/31/2021 1:14 AM
Beth,
I do like our decision to use the American version of the surnames in the family tree.
However, I would like to suggest that for the 12 names in Deeb’s discovery, we add an * at the end of the surname.
Example: Elcik*, Pelcarsky*, Baron*
When I write the LifeStory, it will be easy to tell users to look for the “*” in our trees. They will be told that the * means (Ilycsik, Ilcik).  Or we could go broader as say that the “*” means the name has been Americanized and use this technique anywhere we choose.
When you search for Elcik in the “List of all People,” the search will find the “*” and places these Elcik “people” at the end of the list as a group. Ancestry changed the name of the List. It used to be “List of All Individuals.” Lol.
John, IV
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Ouch!

Sun 1/31/2021 6:47 AM
Beth,
I believe that I am getting old, senile, or both.
 
I am sure that this does not come as a surprise to you, and just as sure what I will share with you next is not a surprise to anyone but me.
 
My last email stated that I had downloaded 95 files for 45 Ilycsik’s and their spouses.  All was going well until I decided to add some of this newfound data to FamilySerach.org. I added the information on Pavlov Ilycsk and Maria Pelcarszki and their four children.  Sweet. All is going well. Janos Elcsik and Erzsebet Baran and their four children are next. Ouch. Did you catch it? I didn’t. In fact, I have been oblivious to it all along.  
Remember how you and I are trying to find the link between what we have referred to as the Elsik and the Ilcik families.  I have thought we are close. No, we don’t have DNA evidence, but the surnames have merged into Elycsik. STOP. Did you catch it this time? There has been no merger. We still have two distinct surnames: Ilycsik and Ilcisk. What happened to the “y.” and Why did I miss it?
Does the “y” matter? Both families share the Ilcik connection. Right? I just checked Ancestry.com, and a search of Ilcisk, without the “y,” finds hundreds of names that I have not downloaded yet. Ouch.
 
It is 6:23, and I am still up but too tired to continue. I’m going to sleep, and this will have been just a nightmare, not real when I wake up. 😢 I wish.
 
John, IV
 
P.S. I need a sabbatical, a long one.
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Re: Ouch!

Mon 2/1/2021 12:31 AM
Beth,
As for figuring this all out, I have a plan.
First, I am grabbing every document that potentially could be helpful on Ancestry.com and MyHeritage so I can transition away from “collecting hints” on those two platforms.  The number of documents I already have means I’m making good progress. I think I shared some summary numbers with you.  I’m almost done with this part of the plan.
Second, the Fantastic Four have given me what I need to take the project to a new level.  I needed the right surnames and specific geographical locations. Your network of friends has provided both. Thank you!
Third, some books and courses will teach me how to access the online databases in the Czech Republic and Europe. The answer exists, and I’m determined to find it.
I was briefly disappointed because I thought we were closer than we are.  What we have found is extraordinary and will make for a great story to tell.
As to the workload, I’m overwhelmed myself.  I forgot to mention the photo and document scanning project. That will be huge also. I think you can better understand now why I cried, “Uncle.”  I really needed to reset the publication date. My mental and physical health were in jeopardy. Lol.
More importantly to me is the desire to keep this fun. The November 3rd date will help me tremendously.
I may take a sabbatical. A week, not a month, not a year. 🙂
John, IV
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Name That Author

February 5, 2021, 9:11 AM

Beth & Nancy,

Let’s play a game.  Since I have no musical ability, I suggest “Name that Author” rather than “Name that Tune.”  

Here are three pages of a document. Can you name the author?

John, IV 
February 5, 2021, 5:13 PM
I don’t have a clue. Don’t recognize the handwriting either. Answer or a clue.
Nancy
 
February 5, 2021, 5:23 PM
Team,
If I am correct (Yes, I could be wrong, but let’s not go there so quickly. ), the document contains clues.
However, in the true spirit of giving, I will give three clues. One, it appears to be a speech rather than a letter. Note, for example; there is no signature.  Second, there could be a vague reverence to the place where the speech was given and who the audience might have been. Third, why might I have sent this to Beth?
Gee, I hope I’m right. If not, I will look really foolish. Lol
By-the-way clues are not like wishes. They rarely come in threes.
John, IV
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Re: Hello Cousin

February 5, 2021 10:00 AM

Zlatica,
Thank you for your help and for reaching out.
I guessed that you were female.  But my reasons may have been wrong.  Your Ancestry username ZlaticaBeca suggested to me that your first name might be Beca, short for Rebecca.
Is Beca your last name? And could Vladimir be a husband? If so, the only two women I know who share my interest in genealogy use their husband’s email account for genealogy. Lol.
I have had a team of helpers that I call the “fantastic four” helping me. Beth Gamache is my cousin Jack’s wife who uses his email account.  She has introduced me to others. I think they all volunteer with the Lisbon Historical Society in Maine: Charles “Charlie” Hall,  Earl Williams, and William “Bill” Cizmar.  I added the dynamic duo from the Ancestry Boards to my list of helpers, in which you are the lead volunteer.  Beth and Jack live in Lisbon, Falls, Maine. Quite by accident, we have learned that Earl is a DNA match. We are still seeking the individuals that make it so.
The Fantastic Four were providing me some of the same family information as you shared during overlapping conversations. It would have been fun to read everyone into the conversation. I didn’t think fast enough. I have had great fun and awesome helpers all along.
Beth and I are writing an eBook together called MyCousins.  It will be an expository story told through eMail, FaceBook, and LinkedIn communications with 20 contributors.  It is our journey in genealogy creating the MyCousins Family Tree.  There are over 500 posts.  We hope to self-publish to the family on a website. The goal is to do this on November 3rd, the 42nd anniversary of my wedding to Pam.
My wife Pam and I lived in Fairfield, Ohio, from 1986-2004. We have two adult children: J.P., a schoolteacher, and Michelle, a Pharmacy Tech with Walgreens. Both live nearby.  We recently celebrated my son’s wedding to Ana Del Moral.  We both “were” retired. I still am, unless you count dog sitting for my own two puppies. I do. Pam has taken a short-term position running drugs for Michelle. She delivers COVID-19 vaccinations between Walgreens stores.
I took your advice and posted the current Elcik Brick Wall on the Slovakia Ancestry Board. What do you think?
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Re: Hello Cousin

Fri 2/5/2021 2:52 PM
Zlatica,
You are a goldmine of wonderful information. Lol.
I have been researching, and your name is “derived from the Czech/Slovak element, zlata meaning “gold.” The suffix of -ica is a popular one among feminine Slavic names denoting something small and feminine. Zlatuska (zlah-TOOSH-kah), and Zlatka, can either be used as a nickname or variation. The name also coincides with the Czech/Slovak word for the buttercup flower.” In the Southern Slavic languages, it just means “gold.”
Ok, Goldie. I will abandon my search for your social media.  I had found one Facebook account that I thought might be a possibility: Zlatica Bečková Nová. Lol. My question for you would have been, “did you visit the following?
Trenčín Region
Visited on August 5, 2014

Nitra Region

Visited on July 9, 2013

 
I once spend hours (days) looking for a Facebook account for my first cousin, Nancy Kashmer Gamache, on an indirect challenge from her brother Jack.  He said she would have the best family photos. Eventually, Beth ratted on Jack. Nancy also only uses email. 
I’ve tried twice to stop using Facebook.  It is an addiction, second only to genealogy. 
John, IV