Posted on Leave a comment

Re: Ouch!

Tue 1/19/2021 11:49 AM
John,

 
The blue box at the right doesn’t bother me as much as it does you.  I guess it just takes getting used to.  I hope it doesn’t discourage you from staying on Ancestry.
 
I have lots to tell you; #1 is John Paul Sr., and Joseph were brothers.  They also had 3 sisters, Elizabeth A Frank, Marie E Dereche and Anna Evanisko.  I have the obits for Joseph, Elizabeth, and Marie.  Elizabeth’s husband’s name was Melnot M Frank, Marie’s husband’s name was Joseph Dereche, and Anna’s husband’s name was George Evanisko.  
 
Earl found all their obits except for Anna.  Her first name is on a headstone at St Cyril, but she isn’t buried with him because there’s no date for her death.  At this point, we don’t know where she’s buried.
 
I don’t think I forwarded the obits to you.  I’ll do that now; if I already sent them, forgive me, but it’s better to have 2 than none.
 
Beth
Posted on Leave a comment

Re: Ouch!

Tue 1/19/2021 12:26 PM
Beth,
First, you and Earl are incredible. Sisters! Wow, that is a super scoop.  I am excited to read the obituaries. This is way beyond what I thought was possible.
Jumping for joy!
As for the blue box… this is what I submitted to Ancestry’s suggestion box (I finally found it.)
To: Ancestry.com

I don’t particularly appreciate that a blue popup box now shows up on the screen’s right side when you click on a hint.

First, it causes the screen to make an unnecessary jump when it creates the box on the right site. This is distracting.
Second, the size of the box and the size of the type are both too small. Users with vision issues, like myself, find it difficult to use.
Third, the new process results in extra keystrokes, which is inconvenient.
Fourth, left-handed people find using the right side of the screen to be less than ideal. One’s natural head movement is a gradual left-to-right. This forces one into a back-and-forth head movement that is just as distracting as the screen jump that occurs when the box is drawn on the screen.
It was significantly easier to document HINTS when data was in the center and not moved to the right. The text was large and easy to read.
The new process is distracting, difficult to use, and inconveniently slow. Ouch!
Please rollback this unwelcome change to a product that was working better before the changes.
I really appreciate any help you can provide.
Dr. John P. Elcik
Software Developer
Posted on Leave a comment

Correction?

Thu 1/21/2021 2:03 PM

 

Beth,

I wanted to copy Earl and Charlie on this, but I don’t have their email addresses.  Could you add them to the conversation? Please and thank you.
Charlie Hall reached out to me on Ancestry Messenger, reminding me of his association with you and Earl. Seeking to be helpful, he offered, “It looks like two Elcik brothers came to Durham, John and Joseph. On the page, you list them as siblings; you have Joseph’s daughters as siblings, also.”
After going back to the source document, I think Charlie is right. The obituary for Joseph P. Elcik [Sr.] upon which we relied does say the girls were John and Joseph’s sisters. But in seeking confirmation, the first two men identified as spouses belong to Joseph’s daughters.
Joseph Elcik’s daughters are:
  • Elizabeth A. Elcik, married to Melnot M. Frank
  • Marie E. Elcik, married to Joseph Dereche
And Mrs. George Evanisko, the third reference, while first identified as a sister, is later in the Obituary referenced accurately as his daughter:
  • Anna Elcik (Mrs.) Evanisko
I was so excited by the assertion I forgot to verify.
If you agree, I believe we need to reconsider our conclusion that there were five siblings.  Instead, there are just the two brothers.
What do you think?
John, IV

PS: I wanted to copy Earl and Charlie on this, but I don’t have their email addresses.  Could you add them to the conversation? Please and thank you.

Posted on Leave a comment

Re: George Evanisko

Thu 1/21/2021 10:31 PM

John

 
I have George’s obit and also a picture of his gravestone at St Cyril.  Earl found his obit and sent it to me.  Earl isn’t on Ancestry; Charlie is and has been for many years and knows his way around. 
I just talked to Charlie about Paul Elcik Sr. and Paul Elcik Jr.  His obit says he was born in Czechoslovakia, the son of Paul and Mary Pelcharsky Elcik.  That could mean that Mary and Maria, your great grandmother, are sisters and married brothers.  You have a picture of Paul Elcik Sr. and Jr’s gravestone.  There has to be a family connection to the Pelcharsky sisters.
I’m reaching out to people I know who can help us.  I’m still speculating at this point.
Beth
Posted on Leave a comment

Re: Correction?

Sat 1/23/2021 10:22 AM
John,

 
Now I don’t know what to think.  According to their birthdates, they’d be his daughters, BUT I found a marriage certificate for Elizabeth Annie Elcik, born in Lisbon Falls married to Joseph Louis Turcotte, born in Skowhegan.  He was 20 in 1921, and she was 16.  That would make her birth year 1905.
If this is Joseph’s daughter, then who is Elizabeth A Elcik Frank, who married Melnot M Frank???  That’s the Elizabeth from the obit Earl sent me.  It lists her sisters as Anna Evanisko of Lisbon Falls and Mrs. Joseph Dereche of Hartford.  She was 42 in 1947, so her birth year would be 1905.
What in the world is going on with the Elcik family???
Beth
Posted on Leave a comment

Re: Correction?

Sat 1/23/2021 1:48 PM
Beth,
My family is a genealogist’s nightmare. This is what I have, which I think answers your follow-up question.
It is a good thing we have a great team working on the Elcik family tree.
The obituary for Joseph P. Elcik was probably not written by a member of the family. I’m speculating now, but I can see it happening that in interviewing one of the daughters, the writer didn’t make the connection that she was talking about her sisters and not her fathers. 🤔
First, we need to remember that Joseph has a brother, my grandfather. Second, we need to go back to one of my earliest posts. As part of my evidence for their being brothers, I reported on the practice during that time in American history of brothers using the same given names for their children.  In this case, the Elcik brothers did it and hence the confusion:
Thus, there are two Elizabeth Annie Elcik’s born just a year apart.
Elizabeth Annie Elcik (1905-1988) is the daughter of John P. Elcik, Sr. (1886-1941) and Maria Anna Pelcarsky (1870-1936). She married twice. First to Joseph Louis Turcott (1901) and second to Carroll Charles Small (1900-1956). She had five children with Charles.
Elizabeth Annie Elcik (1904-1947) is the daughter of Joseph P. Elcik (1875-1938) and Elizabeth Balnick (1870-1934). She married Melnot Frank.  I don’t think they had any children.
Undoubtedly, they played together. So, who was Elizabeth, and who was Annie? Or did they use Beth, Betsie, or Ann, Ana? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol.
And that, as they say, is my story, and I’m stuck with it. Or did I miss something?
John, IV
P.S. I forgot to mention that John Sr’s daughter is the twin of his daughter Annie. And that Annie is the Annie that married George Francis Karkos.
cc: Earl, Charlie