“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin.
Ancestry research is rewarding and fun. There is both the joy of learning and the satisfaction of solving puzzles. Ancestry research benefits come with involvement. If anything, this book seeks to involve you and others in the same journey Beth and I have taken.
What have we learned?
The parents of John P. Elcik, Sr. were John P. Elcik (obituary reference) and the mysterious Elizabeth Baron.
John P. Elcik, Sr. had three previously unknown to us siblings:
- George Elcik, born 1866 in Parchovany, Slovakia
- Anna Elcik, born 1870 in Parchovany, Slovakia
- Joseph P. Elcik, born 1875 in Parchovany, Slovakia
Historical
- Joseph, the youngest brother, would have been too young to make the initial journey to America but immigrated 10 years later. He is part of the chain migration that gets talked about in history books. He would join John working as a washer in a local woolen mill.
- We can tie the journey to America to both political and economic unrest. Austria-Hungary, as an Empire, was broken up into smaller countries, including the Czech Republic. Our relatives gave only general references to their place of origin as Austria-Hungary in official government documents like the U.S. Federal Census. Both John Elcik, III, and John J. Elcik contributed to the oral record with Czechoslovakia references.
- The Elcik’s began life in America as day laborers and demonstrated a strong work ethic of which we should be proud. By working hard, they experienced homeownership when few did. Elcik’s participated in Androscoggin County‘s growth by working in the woolen and paper mills that fueled Maine’s early growth. Throughout the 1900s, male and female Elcik’s worked in the Woolen Mills. The Worumbo Mill was a historic mill on the Androscoggin Riverbank in Lisbon Falls, Maine. Founded in 1864, it was at one point the community’s largest employer. John P. Elcik, Sr. was a boss at the mill for 3o years. John P. Elcik, Jr. and other male ancestors worked at the Pejepscot Paper Company. Today, it is a historic mill building located off U.S. 201 in Topsham, Maine, on the Androscoggin River banks, across from Brunswick.
- The Elcik family, along with our adopted country, values education. Education was not easy to come by in the 1900s, but the Elcik’s benefited from what was available. Today, there are many college graduates in the family. Our careers include professions like teaching and medicine.
- Our European ancestry is unlikely to be tied to the surname Elcik. Neither is it likely to be Elsik and Ilcik as we originally thought. Instead, based on Catholic church baptism records, we need to look for “Ilycsik” and “Ilcsik.” As for locations, the most likely place to look is Parchovany, Slovakia.
Puzzles Solved
- We now know that John P. Elcik, Sr. and Mary Pelcarsky are buried in St. Cyril Cemetry, Lisbon Falls. There are a dozen other family members also buried in the same cemetery. We also know that John’s obituary names John P. Elcik as his father. Could the naming of all the John Elcik’s be off by a generation? Unthinkable. Another obituary had Joseph Elcik’s daughters misidentified as siblings. Fortunately, Charlie Hall caught the error.
- Mary Pelcarsky is our textbook example of the spelling problems that plagued our research. There are multiple alternative spellings of Mary’s maiden surname: Mary Polscoke is John Elcik’s mother on his 20 FEB 1896 birth, Maine Vital Records; Mary Pelchascay is John Elcik’s mother on his marriage to Mary Byrus (sic), Maine Marriage Index; Mary Palcsak is Mary Elcik’s mother upon her 4 OCT 1915 wedding to John Dutko, Maine Marriage Index; Mary Pelesaky is Michael J. Elcik’s mother on his 1 AUG 1930 marriage to Annie H. Sero, Maine Marriage Index to name a few. George F. Karkos says Annie spelled her mother’s name as Pelcarsky. We give her the last word.
- John Elcik, Jr. married twice and most likely left an inheritance when he sold his house and married the second time. A surviving letter by Auntie Gertrude hints at this, but details are lost.
- Annie Elcik (1905-1982), shown in the 1910 photo at the age of 5, grows up and marries George F. Karkos (1899-1965). We first learned of this in Karkos Kronicles, a website created by Terry L. Karkos, a former reporter and photojournalist at Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine). We recently confirmed a second connection between the Elcik and Karkos families. We have Maria Anna Pelcarsky’s obituary (my Great-grandmother), and she DID have a sister: Anna (Pelcarsky) Karkos. Terry tells us that Anna’s parents were Joseph K. Pelcarsky and Anna Belyan. Belyan was born c. 1848 and died in Lisbon Falls on March 1, 1938. Anna Pelcarsky was born 9-17-1877 in Parchovany, Slovakia. He goes on to note that Joseph K. was 26 when he married 15-year-old Anna Pelcarsky.
- A 2nd connection between the Purinton and Elcik families is found. The Elcik family tree has 15 Purington, and 27 Purrington currently on it. And since we both know neither family can spell it stands to reason Beth and I are related beyond her marriage to my 1st cousin Jack. We put the question to resident expert Charlie Hall who concludes, “we have to go back to the first American born generation for the common ancestor: John Purington, 1635 – 1692. Not sure how many DNA elements would be found, fewer than between John IV and Jack most certainly.”
- John Elcik of Rocky Point, New York, is related both by marriage and by blood. His cousin, George Elcik, married Anna Gamache. George was called cousin by my Auntie Gertrude, but there is no blood relationship. By marrying Anna, Uncle Norman’s sister, a marital relationship exists between what we mistakenly called the Lisbon Falls and The Durham Elcik’s. Both family’s ties to America begin in Durham, Maine. The blood relation is revealed by DNA testing. Both John P. Elcik, IV and John J. Elcik’s DNA are on file at Ancestry.com.
- DNA also identifies four “new to us” cousins:
- Judy Lakkis, a retired Xray Technician. Her father is John Chester Spivak, his father was Timothy Spivak, and his mother was Tessie Spivak. They are originally from Poland.
- Zlatica Beca, “born under Czechoslovakia’s flag in eastern Slovakia further East of Parchovany in Vinne.”
- Earl Williams, a Lisbon Historical Society member and part of our “Fabulous Seven” research team.
- An as-yet-unnamed Turkish cousin.
Family Celebrity
- Elizabeth Mabie Elcik, a noteworthy Fashion illustrator according to Marquis’s “Who’s Who in American Women,” “Who’s Who in America,” and “Who’s Who in the World.” From fads such as the early ’90s safari-look to timeless pantsuits for the modern businesswoman, she has practically drawn them all.
- Eugene Elcik, a Maine native who writes with a New England flavor. Eugene “Gene” Elcik’s novels are: “Challenges,” “Desperation of Souls,” “The Lobsterman of Deep Cove, Maine,”; “Shiloh, the Deception of a Cult, (1861- 1951)”; “The Confessional, the Sins Within;” and “Beyond the Snows of Maine.”
Check out the In the News feature on MyCousins for other family members who’s activities made the Internet.
Contributions
The Elcik Family Tree on Ancestry.com has grown substantially and covers much more than the Elcik’s. It has 5,217 people, 3,271 photos, 428 life stories, and 6,051 records. Even so, Ancestry HINTs still offer 3,189 people and 26,535 records to explore. It is the addition of priceless pictures and life stories that have seen the most exciting changes.
- There is a 1951 photo of John Elcik, Jr., thanks to Jeff, Jack, and Nancy.
- A wedding photo of John Elcik, Jr., and Mary Byrus, thanks to Mark.
- The naturalization document for Andrew Byras, thanks to Nancy.
- A wedding photo of Aunt Gertrude and Uncle Norman, thanks to Becky.
- Quality photos of family gravesites, thanks to Beth
- Wanda’s letter with the words to the Slovak nursery song from Becky.
- Becky’s Moulton family stories.
- Beth’s Puddington family history.
- Thanks to Janet, we have Chapman Cottage pictures, the B&B, which was once the Lucas home.
- And numerous photos and letters that came from John Elcik III through Jeff.
Still to Do
- Two family recipes are missing: a kielbasa recipe from George Elcik and a homebrew recipe from Jack’s grandfather, Edmond. Jack and his dad, George, and Bob, went to Durham to smoke the kielbasa because John Ilcik had a smokehouse. After John died, George asked Jack’s dad to smoke the kielbasa at his house. John, IV remembers the smokehouse and the dark beer though he would have been too young to drink the latter.
- Nancy (Gamache) Kaskmer has the naturalization papers for Andrew Byras (1865-1945), and they indicate Kisfalucsko, Hungary, is another place where the Byras family came from. We want to research this in more detail. Our first pass suggests that the town may no longer exist. Also, can we locate the naturalization papers for others?
- Will DNA or other records help us identify and meet European relations?
- Our ongoing research interests are posted both with John’s Ancestry profile and on Ancestry’s Message Boards.
Final Observations
Our reference to a World Tree in the introduction to “My Cousins” has merit. There already are several. The FamilySearch Family Tree at FamilySearch.org is the world’s largest online family tree. We have entered name and date data hoping that our European cousins will do the same. If so, it could be the vehicle to knock down the brick wall that has hampered locating families in Europe.
The distinction between a family tree and family history is a point we wish to make. By adding life stories and photos to the Ancestry.com site, we transition from just a family tree to recording family history. If sources separate a family tree from mythology, our life stories and photos provide actual life lessons. Isn’t this the true purpose and value of history?
The time to write stories and collect photos is now. We have traveled far. Will you join us?
Dr. John P. Elcik, IV Beth (Purinton) Gamache
john@mycousins.org beth@mycousins.org
P.S. Remember the baby lullabies that John III and Uncle Richard would sing. We have the words, and they are men’s drinking songs. Did they know?
What can I do with these women, we went to bar they came after us, we ordered, they drank and when came to pay they hid. – Zlatica Beca
2nd song says something like 2 guys were walking to church but they stopped at the Halley (Hall or club) and got pianni (drunk). Then they went to church and prayed that their wives would let them in the house! – Dan Gamache
