Tag: puzzle

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Email to Joseph Elcik


Fri 8/14/2020 1:06 PM

Joseph,

I have just completed 6 weeks of intensive full-time research into the Elcik surname.
You are the sixth individual in the “family” that I have communicated with.

Most relevant to you may be my conversations with John Elcik of Rocky Point, New York, who is definitely on your family tree. I think he and your father are cousins?

Most of what I know comes from Census records.

John (New York) and I have been seeking ties between our families.

To date, I have found one.

I now know that there is at least an indirect connection between what I call New York Elcik’s and myself.

George Elcik (in the 1920 Census) on your branch of the family tree married Jack Gamaches ‘s father’s sister Anna Gamache on my branch. Yes, this is where Beth helped me solve the puzzle, as Jack is my 1rst cousin.

I’m now focused on proving a more direct family relationship between John Ilcik (1886-1982) and John Elsik (1866-1941). Given the 20 years that separated the two, I now suspect the relationship between these two is cousins.

To clarify, John Ilcik figures prominently on your family tree, and John Elsik is my Great-grandfather. To date, I can’t find a direct link.

This does not preclude other relationships from being found. It just has become a lot harder as the answer probably is in Europe. Ouch!

I hope you can find and share your family tree. It could help me solve puzzles I don’t even know exist.

Warmest regards,

John

P.S. The attached history of the spelling of Elcik is one of my more interesting findings and led me to discover that my Great-grandfather probably had a brother: Joseph Elsik.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Re: Joseph Elcik

August 15, 2020, 10:25 AM

John, IV,

This just keeps getting better and better!!! Sooooo, the aunt Joseph is talking about is Richard’s wife!!! AND they have 3 children. This is so awesome to find out more about the Durham Elcik family. The pieces to the puzzle are starting to fit and make sense. You’re lucky Joseph contacted you. Keep ’em coming!!!

I don’t know if you remember when I told you it took me 2 years to do my family history. Fortunately, I discovered a cousin (whom I didn’t know existed) when I went to a cemetery in West Bowdoin about 10-12 miles from where we live. A lot of my ancestors lived in that town. I contacted him and discovered his mother had handwritten several generations of my ancestors. I struck a gold mine when I did that. I took about 50 or more pictures in the cemetery that day, thank goodness. I spent the winter trying to put all those pieces together, plus I joined the Lisbon Historical Society where they had a collection of books and obituaries to help me in my search. They were a tremendous help at that particular time.

Unfortunately, they’ve been closed since March because of COVID-19. I’m positive they have Elcik obituaries and one day, I’ll ask them if I can go and do some research. I’m good friends with the President, VP, secretary and I’m pretty sure I can do that. Matter of fact, I’m the secretaries’ assistant and do the record-keeping for them. I need to call her about the Society business and will ask her if I can go some time. I’m waiting for cooler weather because the room doesn’t have air conditioning plus I’ve been dealing with medical issues I’ve told you about. I’ll get there, it’s just a matter of time. On the other hand, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you may have it figured out by the time I get there.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!

Beth

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Names

Sun 8/16/2020 10:18 AM
Beth,
Duplicate names keep giving me trouble.  And as you hint at, Mary is the name that also figures in puzzles.  It isn’t just the boys; consider Ann, Mary, Marie, and Elizabeth.
I believe it is the reliance on the Bible for names that created this problem. 🙂 I need to look up the origin of several of these names to confirm this. It would be good for me to read the Bible more.
I like it when you “ramble.”  But please get your rest and stay healthy.
John, IV
Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Pelcarsky Puzzle Kept Me up

 
I have found three significant references to Pelcarsky in addition to Mary Pelcarsky that married my Great Grandfather.  I also reduced the number of relevant documents (unduplicated facts) to three. 

 
# 1 is your trip to Mt. Calvary Cemetary
 
Anna Pelcarsky 17 SEP 1877 – 22 MAR 1940 = Annie M.
Joseph Karkos 23 MAR 1867 – 21 JUL 1957 = Joseph Paul
Albert Karkos 01 MAR 1914 – 31 JAN 1915
 
There is a second son: Joseph Thomas Karkos who marries Mildred Aris Alexander. Mildred Aris Alexander’s parents are Edgar Butler Alexander and Mabel Palmer.
 
[Comment: If it is true that Anna Pelcarsky is our Mary’s sister then this means there are two ties between the Karkos and Elcik families (one generation apart).
 
Anna Pelcarsky (1877-1940) marries Joseph Karkos (1867-1957)
Annie Elcik (1905-1982) marries George F. Karkos (1899-1965)
 
I think this is true, but it would be good to verify with George E. Karkos.]
 
#2 is Maria Pelcarsky who is married to Paul Ilcik and has a daughter Annie Ilcik.
 
Annie marries Andrew Basala on 19 JAN 1911
Andrew Basala’s parents are John Basala and Annie Chismar.
 
[Comment: Whether Paul Ilcik is a Durham Elcik is unverified. I’m also working to find out if Maria Pelcarsky is related to our Mary Pelcarsky.]  
 
#3 is Mary Pelcarsky in the 1930 United States Census (NOT OUR MARY)
 
Mary was born in Czechoslovakia in 1901 and married Joseph Pelcarsky also born in Czechoslovakia.  
 
They have three sons: Joseph, Edward, Emil; and five daughters: Anna, Hele, Margaret, Mary Phillips, Rose
 
[Comment: There are other Pelcarsky‘s in Ohio that I stopped researching once I was sure that this was a different Mary Pelcarsky and her relatives.]
 
John, IV

Maria Pelcarsky in the entry for Andrew Basala and Annie Ilcik, _Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921_ — FamilySearch.org.pdf

Mary Pelcarsky in the household of Joseph Pelcarsky, _United States Census, 1930_ — FamilySearch.org.pdf

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Re: Karkos Kronicles


Sat 9/26/2020 5:39 PM

John, IV,

It’s interesting that you reached out to Terry L Karkos. I’ve reached out to 3 people in Lisbon Falls about the picture. The last one was just about an hour ago. She’s a neighbor of ours and her daughter babysat our children about 40 years ago. Her name is Marilyn Keamy and she said her father was Andrew Karkos. I just went to her house and dropped off the Karkos family picture plus the John S Karkos obituary I received from my friend at the HS. She’s 92, her memory is better than mine and she remembers everything about the Karkos family. I called her, told her about the picture and she proceeded to tell me stories about the 10 brothers and sisters.

I gave her 2 copies of the picture, one for her to keep and the other one she’ll write the names of the brothers and sisters and give it back to me. I’m hopeful this will solve some pieces of the puzzle. That plus your contact with Terry L Karkos is a bonus.

I’ll let you know what she says about the Karkos family picture!!

Beth

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Re: Eugene Elcik, Novelist with a Maine flavor!


Sat 10/17/2020 7:28 PM

John, IV,

I’m happy you and Gene Elcik are communicating, and thank you for sharing your email with him. We had a wonderful visit with Gene on Wednesday. I gave him as much information as I could about the research you and I are doing on the Elcik family. He was very interested in that. I’m hoping he will be a contributor as I believe he’s the only living Elcik of his generation.

I photocopied several pages of notes I’ve taken and some of the family group sheets you sent me. While I was doing that, he and Jack spent some time talking, and even Jack said how much he enjoyed that. It was wonderful to have him here with us for a couple of hours.

Also, Marilyn Keamy stopped by the same day, and she and Gene were happy to see each other, even if it was for a little while. She’s soon to be 93 and pretty frail, but she has an incredible memory. She didn’t stay long; she wore a mask as did Gene while she was here. I kept a 6′ distance, and she was comfortable with that. She’s so afraid of coming in any contact with people during COVID, and I agree with that. She doesn’t go out in public much at all and has even stopped going to the library even though they’re open. She went every day and spent several hours socializing, doing crossword puzzles, etc. She wrote the names on the back of the Karkos photo you sent. She knew all of them and even some stories about them. She’s truly amazing!! She didn’t know, nor did Gene, if Anna and Mary Pelcarsky were sisters. That remains a mystery.

Beth

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Pelcarsky Puzzle

 
Sun 10/18/2020 11:23 PM
 

The Pelcarsky Puzzle

 
We theorize that Mary and Maria are probably different people; however, Marie’s records have become intertwined with Mary’s on some public family trees. We suspect the women could be sisters born 5 years apart in 1870 and 1875, respectively.
 

They Are Not Sisters 

 
Our sister’s theory was wrong as both birth years apply only to Mary Pelcarsky.  The abt 1875 birthdate in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census was an estimate.  Her actual birthdate is 6 NOV 1870.
 

There Are Two Different Women

 
We were correct that there are two different women. Mary was born in 1870, and Maria Anna was born in 1927:
 
Mary (Pelcarsky) Elsik was born on 6 NOV 1870 in Austria (or Czechoslovakia). She married John Elsik, Sr. (1866), and they have three sons: John, Jr, Mike, and Andrew; three daughters: Mary, Annie, and Lizzie.  The source is the 1910 U.S. Census. She died 23 AUG 1936. This is my great grandparents and family.
 
Maria Anna Pelcarsky was born in 1927 as calculated from the Ohio Death Index; she died on 12 OCT 1983 according to the same Index;  Maria Pelcarsky married Paul Ilcik. They have a daughter Annie Ilcik. The source is the 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala. Paul and Annie are what you and I are calling Durham Elcik’s.
 

The History Behind 4 Pelcarsky Marriages

 
Mary Pelcarsky (1870) married John Elcik, Sr. (1866). They both were born in Austria. They have three sons: John, Jr, Mike, and Andrew; three daughters: Mary, Annie, and Lizzie. This is my great grandfather and family. The source is the 1910 U.S. Census.  
 
Maria Pelcarsky married Paul Ilcik, and they have a daughter Annie Ilcik. The source is the 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala.
 
Anna “Annie” Pelcarsky (1848) married Joseph Paul Karkos (1867). She was born in Austria, and her parents were born in Slavonia. The source is the 11 APR 1921 marriage of Joseph Thomas Karkos and Mildred Aris Alexander. Other sources include the 1900 and 1920 U.S. Census.  There could be two relationships between the Pelcarsky and Karkos families. A second relationship is Annie Elcik (daughter of Mary Pelcarsky) marriage to George F. Karkos on 9 FEB 1925.
 
Mary Pelcarsky (1879) married Joseph Pelcarsky (1874). Both were born in Czechoslovakia. They have two sons: Joe and Edward; three daughters: Ann, Martha, and Rose. The source is the 1940 U.S. Census. There is no known relationship between Mary and the other three. I believe them to be unrelated to us. 
 

The Preferred Spelling is Pelcarsky

  • Pelcarsky – Mothers’s maiden name, according to Annie Elcik, wife of George F. Karkos.
  • Pelcarsky – Mother’s maiden name on 19 JUN 1911 Marriage record of Annie Ilcik to Andrew Basala.

6 Alternative Spellings

The maiden name for Mary Pelcarsky is different on the following records:

  • 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
  • Mary Polcarski is an unknown daughter’s mother on her 29 AUG 1910 birth, Maine Vital Records

Also, there is Mary Pelchaleky (Marie Pelcarsky) married to Paul Elcik, Sr., Maine Vital Records

Postscript

 
Yes, this one baffled me for a long time.
 
John, IV