The Ilcik mystery needs a human face, and I reach out to John Elcik of Rocky Point, New York. He is one of what I begin calling the New York Ilcik’s. He is the great-grandson of John Ilcik (1886-1982). John agrees that there must be a relation between the families but has no information that solves the mystery.
After months of research, I find a distant connection between the Ilcik’s and us. George Michael Ilcik married Anna Eva Gamache. Anna’s brother is Norman Philip Gamache, married to Gertrude Dorothy Elcik.
Purists will argue this is not a blood relationship. So the research of Ilcik and Elsik families continues. I communicate with two other Ilcik men, Joseph Elcik and Brian C. Elcik. We still come up empty on finding a connection.
Members of both Elcik families (Elsik/Ilcik) believe we are related. We all come from Western Europe (Austria/Hungary/Slovakia), spoke Slovak, and have a Catholic heritage. We all settled initially in Durham, Maine. Also, both sets of grandparents lived and died in Lewiston, Maine. There are no coincidences.
I have often referenced the Elsik’s as being from Lisbon Falls, Maine, and the Ilcik’s from New York or Durham, Maine. Neither is true. Both families initially settled in Durham. Our ties to Lisbon Falls were personal and formed by our visits with Uncle Norman and Auntie Gertrude. Our family always came “home” to 45 Davis Street, Lisbon Falls, Maine, after our trips overseas, including Guam, the Philippines, and Japan. Dad was in the U.S. Navy, and we traveled as his dependents.
