NameHerman “Bernard” BERTKE
Spouses
ChildrenGeorge (1828-1919)
Notes for Herman “Bernard” BERTKE
Bernard and Adelheide Bertke emigrated from Kettenkamp ( Hanover) Germany to the US arriving in Richmond Virginia in October of 1837. They were accompanied by their five sons and one daughter. According to a family source, they “followed the James River, built a raft and floated down the Kanawhe into the Ohio River with Missouri as their destination. After days and days of floating down a stream the decided that Missouri was now at their right and they disembarked with their belongings. After a few days of preparation to move inland they found out that they were in Ohio. They moved up the little Miami Valley near what is now Dayton. They turned left again in the upper region of the valley near to what is now Sidney. Following the high ground to a point what is now south east part of Mercer County in Ohio. Here they acquired title to about one hundred and sixty acres. A log cabin was constructed before winter set in , and food for the time being consisted of game and grain that was given to them y distant settlers. When the cabin was completed they started to clear a few acres during the winter and prepared for spring planting. Here they toiled for a number of years expanding their tillable land and getting a foothold and getting acclimated. Here I will pause to give the names of the four sons from the youngest to the oldest: George, Dick, Herman Henry and Bernard, the latter being my grandfather. Sometime in the 1850’s George started overland for California, and as they later found out made it.” William Bertke 1889-1984.
(From a missive by William Bertke, grandson of Herman "Bernard" Bertke and Adelheide Boheman) (Information provided by Susan Bertke Pawlosky, <[email protected]>)
Last Modified 26 Jun 2006Created 17 Jan 2012 using Reunion for Macintosh