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Tell the Truth

 

Wed 2/10/2021 2:47 AM

Perhaps you both remember “To Tell the Truth,” a game show where three people, all of who claim to be someone, are questioned by a panel of four celebrities. One of them is the real person, while the other two are just impostors. The panelists take turns questioning the people about their subject and then try to guess which of the three people is the truth-teller.

My version of “To Tell the Truth” is different. Here the host (me) admits he is not 100% sure who the guest is. I provide at least three photos, and my panel of two celebrities (Beth & Nancy) are charged with identifying the guest.

I have prepared two “To Tell the Truth” challenges for you: individual #1 and individual #2.  Bonus points go to the celebrity that identifies other people in a photo. Both challenges have that possibility.

Let the games begin.

Individual #1
Individual #2
John, IV
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Newspapers.com

Fri, Feb 12, 2021, at 6:25 PM
Beth,
Here is a valuable link, if you have not already seen it. FREE access to Newspapers.com for Valentine’s Day Weekend.
Using it I was able to verify the “legend” of Uncle Clyde, my mother’s brother.
Regards,
John, IV

Fri 2/12/2021 11:00 PM
John,
 
Interesting article about your uncle.  You told me about that and now you have the newspaper article to prove it!! 
 
I didn’t know about the free access to Newspapers.com.  Thanks for sending me the link!
 
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

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Photo Enhancement

Tue 3/9/2021 3:46 AM
Becca,
I am experimenting with various software products that can enhance old photographs. 
MyHeritage includes both B&W and Colorized enhancements.  
I’m attaching the Gamache photo results for you, Beth, and Nancy to see what their enhancement process looks like. 
Let me know what you think,
John, IV
Yes, I have other options, and sometimes cropping the photo to eliminate the part of the picture that needs repair is an option.
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Brick Wall Breakthrough

Sun 3/14/2021 12:53 PM
Fantastic Four,
I want to celebrate!
One of the larger goals of my ancestry research has been to see if we could establish a relationship between the two Elcik families, which I have been referring to as the “Elsik” and the “Ilcik” families.
Specifically, I have been attempting to link my great grandfather with the great-grandfather of a different John Elcik. I live in Florida, and the other John lives in Rocky Point, New York.
  • John Elsik (1866-1941) married Mary Pelcarsky (1875-1936), through whom I (IV), Dad (III), and John (Jr.) descended. In the 1910 Census, John Elsik identified his surname as Elsik. Elcik is the spelling used for the rest of the family.  John immigrated in 1891 and Mary in 1896. Ancestry and I agree that John Elsik is my great-grandfather.
  • John Elcik (1886-1982) married Mary Jeho Zena Jonek (1887-1951). John immigrated in 1905, and Mary immigrated a year later in 1906. He came to America through Ellis Island, and the name was changed to Elcik from Ilcik, as told to his grandson. His son, Andrew J. Elcik (1911-1995), married Jeannie Pascarella through whom many of the “New York” Elcik’s descended. This family includes my “New York” contact: John Elcik.
We know for sure that there is a connection between the New York Elcik’s and us. [Thank you, Beth.] Their George Elcik (in the 1920 Census) married Jack’s father’s sister Anna Gamache. This would not be a blood relative, but it has been the best Beth (and I) could come up with.
Today, I decided to do some research on the DNA finds in my Ancestry.com account. I search for the Elcik surname, and I get a hit for 1_jelcik.  The Family Tree associated with the hit has only two names, and one is private. The father of the DNA match is shown to be Andrew Elcik (1911).  On my family tree, this would make the DNA be that of John J. Elcik (1943-2018), who is the father of John Elcik in Rocky Point, New York.
May we all celebrate?  I think we have done it. The closeness of the relationship interests me, but the relationship alone is a win.  The attached document is Ancestry’s take of the probability of different relationships.
Bottom line, the Ancestry relationship calculator is now telling me that I am related to John in Rocky Point. He is my “great-grandnephew of husband of grandaunt.” I can almost understand this description.
This also lends credence to the Slovakian language experts that say the difference between Ilycsik and Ilcsik is probably a spelling difference.
Would everyone agree that I should encourage John Elcik to fill out his family tree if he has access to his father’s Ancestry account?  
Again, can we all agree to celebrate?  
John, IV
P.S. I have no idea why I couldn’t find this earlier.  Perhaps., John took my advice, and the Ancestry account is him and not his father. Lol.