Dr. John P. Elcik, IV
Co-Author, Webmaster
Email: john@mycousins.org
John’s parents were John P. Elcik, III (1928–2011) and Jacqueline Skillin (1930–1993). They divorced, and both later remarried. John, III believed strongly in education and ensured that all three of his sons—John, James, and Jeffrey—received college educations.
Dr. John P. Elcik, IV married Pamela McClanahan, and they have two children, J.P. and Michelle Elcik. John retired from a career in marketing administrative software for higher education.
His interests include child advocacy (as a Mason and Shriner), animal rescue, education—particularly eLearning—mysteries, and science fiction.
John nominated himself to write an eBook about a genealogy journey through family closets and garages. While few skeletons were found in the closets, there were some truly frightening garages to explore. There are photographs.
John’s cousin Jack made the mistake of volunteering his wife Beth to join the journey. Beth contributed Freddy Kruger (again, there are photos) and her own scary additions. Jack had no idea that the MyCousins family tree and eBook would become an obsession for both John and Beth.
Beth Purinton Gamache
Co-Author, Genealogist, Photographer
Email: beth@mycousins.org
Beth’s parents were Norman Allan Purinton (1919–2010) and Alberta Phyllis Goddard (1922–2010). She has three brothers: Carl R., Lewis G., and Allan N. Purinton.
Beth grew up in Durham, Maine, attended Durham Schools, and graduated from Lisbon High School. She graduated from business college in 1969 and married Jack Gamache that same year. They have two children, Loni Beth and Derek Gamache.
When her children were in third and fifth grade, Beth took a position at the local elementary school as an Ed Tech in kindergarten, where she spent 19 years doing work she loved. Because the teacher she worked with was also Mrs. Gamache, Beth became affectionately known as “Mrs. G.”
Beth is married to Dan Gamache, Jack’s second cousin.
Beth’s ancestry journey began after discovering a second cousin living just five miles away in Bowdoin, Maine—someone she never knew existed. After finding his name and phone number on a cemetery poster, Beth reached out and learned that his mother had compiled handwritten family genealogy long before Ancestry.com existed.
Beth was allowed to bring home the album, and her interest soared. Over the next two years, she focused on the Purinton surname before expanding to include Gamache, Elcik, and Byrus family lines, eventually managing six separate family trees.