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Flash Drive Mailed

Tue, Nov 10, 2020, at 12:57 PM
Beth,
I sent the flash drive in yesterday’s outgoing mail.  Enjoy!
John, IV

November 18, 2020, 10:56 PM

John, IV

I received the flash drive yesterday but haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.  Thank you for that and also thank Pam for all the cards she’s sent me.  

I had a Dr. appt. with my cardiologist today with many questions bothering me.  One of the new meds that I need to take for 30 days to prevent chest pain gives me a headache, which was a big concern for me.  He reassured me it’s normal and should stop once I stop the medication.  It’s very important to continue taking it, which I will definitely do.
I will upload the information on the flash drive I send back to you in time.  This latest medical issue has set me back a bit and also the weeks leading up to it.  The fatigue I feel is a bit overwhelming, but Dr. reassured me that too will improve in the future.  Jack and I started walking yesterday for the first time in quite a while, which felt SO good to do that without chest pain and shortness of breath.
Have patience with me,
Beth

Beth,
I’m in NO hurry, and you shouldn’t be either.
Rest and enjoy time with Jack, etc.  I want you to take at least the rest of the year off.  This will give me time for Pam and the kids as well. Both Pam and I will be taking DNA tests soon, and I expect nothing to get done until January.
Enjoy!
John, IV

On Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 10:57 PM
Awesome, thanks!
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We Have Turkish Cousins

 
Wed 11/11/2020 6:47 AM
 
Beth,
 
FYI, there are over a thousand Turkish Elcik’s, which is interesting considering the results of my brother’s DNA test. 
 
My brother Jeff took a 23andMe DNA test. Through the 5th generation, our known ancestors came from the Czech Republic and Austria to the United States in the late 1800s. But our family background is more diverse than I ever knew.
 
Quoting 23andMe, “You most likely had a third-great-grandparent, fourth-great-grandparent, fifth-great-grandparent, sixth-great-grandparent, or seventh-great- (or greater) grandparent who was 100% Anatolian. This person was likely born between 1700 and 1820.”
 
So, what is Anatolian?
 
Anatolia, Turkish Anadolu, also called Asia Minor, the peninsula of land today, constitutes the Asian portion of Turkey.
 
This brings to the table new definitions of the meaning of “elcik.”  Here are some from a Turkish dictionary.
 
TurkishEnglish
elcikpull n.
elcikhandgrip n.
elcikhandle n.
elcikglider n.
elcikgrip n.
 
Considering I had been given “zipper” as a meaning for Elcik, these definitions complement that assertion. It simply narrows the scope to the “pull” on a zipper. 🙂 
 
I have referred to my Turkish friends on Facebook as Surname buddies as we share the Elcik surname. In the eBook we are writing called “My Cousins,” I think they qualify as cousins. Wow!
 
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MyCousins.ged

Thu 11/12/2020 8:34 AM
Devon,
You both are awesome!!!!  The GEDCOM file loaded perfectly.   You and your Dad have given the best response ever…
My thought is to add one generation to the MyCousins tree that I’m working on.  I believe that there is more value in keeping the trees as they are rather than trying to be the One World Tree.  I support that concept as I have put a lot of my data on the One Tree, FamilySearch website. ? By putting some information there, I hope my data connects to other trees. Maybe I will solve the brick wall difficulty we have in locating “cousins” from Europe. 
I am doing two major projects to send you a Flash Drive with everything on it. The projects are the MyCousins Family Tree and an eBook (400+ emails, Facebook, and LinkedIn conversations) on my journey to create MyCousins.  The publication date(s) have yet to be determined.
Beth Gamache, the wife of my 1rst Cousin Jack, is my coauthor for the eBook. She has 6 Family trees. The Flickinger Tree is awesome.  Other family branches, however, may provide me opportunities to match her efforts. I’ve also outreached to the Del Moral, Duryea, Grap, and Portell family branches. These could double as I also ask about the maiden names for the females.
You may not wish to wait for the Flash drive, so I have attached a GEDCOM file of MyCousins.  The Flash Drive is important as I have adopted the Genealogist slogan that a “Family Tree without Sources is Mythology.” I have thousands of source documents, images, and photos that will be on the drive.
At the same time, one of my favorite quotes is:
Patience is a virtue,
Catch it if you can.
Seldom in a woman,
Never in a man.
Thus, the GEDCOM file is attached.
Also, if you are unaware of it, GEDCOM files have one significate limitation. While you can share the family tree, the sources (documents, images, and photos) do not get shared.  I backup (synch) my family tree to Family Tree Maker 2019, which gives me a complete backup of everything on my local computer.  Another company that does the same is RootsMagic 7. If you are interested in learning more about this, let me know. I own both programs, and I love to share information on technology. I’ve always been a researcher at heart.
Again, I am over the moon with your response. Thanks.
John
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Re: MyCousins.ged

 
Thu 11/12/2020 8:57 AM
 
Barry,
 
While I included you in my response to Devon, I feel compelled to thank you directly. 
 
We “genealogists” are a lonely lot.  I use the Maytag repairman example and Rodney Dangerfield to express this feeling to the kids. They roll their eyes. I don’t think they know either person. Lol. 
 
I have some idea just how much effort went into your Family Tree. Thank you! It is important what we are doing. I really believe this.
 
Please contact me directly about anything. It would be my pleasure to swap stories.
 
Warmest regards,
 
John, IV
johnelcik@msn.com  
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A Couple Things

Tue 11/17/2020 10:51 AM
Beth,
Gaining strength is good, whereas doing more may be a mixed blessing.  Please be sure not to overdo it.
Rather than troubleshoot the old credentials, I created new ones and tested them.  This will get you back in:
  • User name:    XXXXXXX
  • Password:      XXXXXXX
The news about Pete is sad.  Amidst so much optimism and progress in the last 10 years, I know that prostate cancer is scary. If he is declining treatment, it must be serious for him.  I’m glad he has Christine helping. Pete and his support group will be in my prayers for sure.
All the people I reached out to through Ancestry.com messenger have the Elcik surname. I did that because the message was about getting one of the Ilcik Elcik’s to do DNA testing with me. Christine Elcik, in this case, is one of the Ilcik Elcik’s.
Thank you for sharing about Pete.
John, IV