This exchange captured firsthand workplace memory and family artifacts connected to Pejepscot Paper and multiple Elcik generations. Mark Elcik provided photographs and context that anchored names to places, jobs, and lived experience—linking family relationships to a specific industrial setting and era. At a Glance First Contact: August 6, 2020 Primary Surname: Elcik Medium: Email Role … Read more
This exchange reflects a careful, exploratory outreach to a possible keyholder in the Elcik family history. Joseph Elcik, whose lineage traces through Maine and New York, was believed to have access—directly or indirectly—to a privately compiled Elcik family tree. While definitive materials were not immediately recovered, the correspondence clarified relationships, corrected name confusions, and opened … Read more
This exchange marked the first deep engagement from the next generation of the Elcik family. Christopher Elcik—my nephew—responded with both intellectual curiosity and emotional connection, asking thoughtful questions about lineage while reconnecting with family photographs and videos. His interest directly led to the sharing of inherited images and helped bring his wife Devon, and her … Read more
This exchange marked the reconnection of first cousins after many years of silence. Cheryl (Elcik) Heath, whose father was Richard Elcik, reached out from Maine as the family tree work surfaced familiar names and renewed connections. What followed was a warm, wide-ranging conversation that reestablished family ties and reopened an ongoing channel of communication. At … Read more
This sequence of exchanges documents the quiet but decisive role played by Earl Williams of the Lisbon Historical Society. Through patient fieldwork, cemetery mapping, gravestone recovery, and local historical knowledge, Earl helped surface physical evidence that confirmed identities long obscured by weather, naming conventions, and incomplete records. His work transformed uncertain references into verifiable facts. … Read more
This exchange introduced a deeply experienced local historian whose personal, professional, and genealogical interests intersected with the Elcik story. Bill Cizmer brought multi-generational research experience, intimate knowledge of Lisbon Falls, and a practical understanding of Slovak naming conventions, immigration patterns, and archival limits. His perspective added breadth, realism, and valuable external connections. At a Glance … Read more
This exchange captured the voice of one of the oldest known Elcik descendants still living at the time of contact. Gene Elcik, writing from Maine at the age of eighty-seven, brought perspective shaped by military service, professional life, and earlier, often frustrating attempts to trace the family’s European origins. His message reflected both the urgency … Read more
This exchange documents the first direct contribution of structured genealogical data from outside the immediate Elcik family line. Devon Elcik (Flickinger), married to my nephew Christopher Elcik, acted as an intermediary between the MyCousins project and her father’s extensive prior research, enabling the transfer of a complete GEDCOM file and opening a new branch of … Read more
This exchange introduced one of the most important external perspectives to the MyCousins project. Zlatica Beca, writing from Ohio with direct roots in eastern Slovakia, brought decades of experience researching Slovak genealogy, language, and naming conventions. Her correspondence immediately reframed the Elcik surname mystery within its correct historical, linguistic, and regional context. At a Glance … Read more