Of course Dad was right ...

If there are Elskens  of Prussian descent in your family tree, this is your story.

My quest for family history information began with a request from my Dad, Gregory John Elsken and my Uncle Toney Elsken, back in 1987. I had accompanied my parents (Catherine and Greg Elsken, pictured) on a trip to Little Rock for a visit to Uncle Toney and Aunt Julia (whom I cannot mention without a pause to savor the memory of her fragrant kitchen, which always seemed to contain a warm pie just out of the oven...)

Uncle Toney and Dad got into a discussion about the "History of Logan County," a hardback publication which included an article about their father, Conrad Elsken. The article stated that Conrad's parents were Gerhard Elsken and Maria Niesens. The writer did not appear to realize that Gerhard had been married twice, and that Conrad's mother was Gerhard's first wife.

Dad was certain his father and his Uncle Henry had different mothers. However, he had no way to prove it. At the time, I could offer little in the way of help. We did try looking through old editions of The Paris Express, the weekly newspaper in Paris, Ark.

Twenty years later, on another visit to Little Rock, the topic came up again. But this time, I had the internet at my fingertips. And so, my search began in earnest. And with that search came a connection to Elsken descendants all over the United States as well as the Ilskens branch of the family in Germany.  I also found two historians whose research contributes to the story.

A few years ago, I started to put my research together in book form, only to lose the manuscript in a computer meltdown.

Recently I decided to start again to compile the information and photos into some kind of published format, but this time I plan to document the research in blog installments, which will allow other family members a chance to chime in.

I welcome information, stories, anecdotes, questions and photos ... especially photos. Later the blogs and photos can be turned into a book, for those who still cherish the printed word.

And if anyone has a recipe for one of Julia Elsken's pies, please send it my way.