Interested in knowing more about the Hartke (or Hardtke) family name in Pommern. In 1882, Wilhelm Hartke and his wife Karoline (nee Kroepel) and family came to the U.S. from eastern Pommern in the Kreis Lauenburg area. They had been living in Kerschkow near Ossecken, not far from the Baltic Sea.

At the time, Pommern (or Pomerania) was a predominantly German region that became part of Poland after WW-II. Few, if any, Germans live in the eastern Pommern area today.

Wilhelm and Karoline and children August, Hermina, and Emelie settled in St. Louis, Missouri. Several more children were born in St. Louis including Emil, Otto, Wilhelm and Edward. The family was Lutheran and attended St. Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis.

There were other Hartke or Hardtke families already in the U.S. from this same area. Looking for connections to any other Hartke or Hardtke families from Pommern.