I would appreciate any information or suggestions of how to learn if Pastor Caspar Pötker of Parish Buer bei Melle was the father of my forefather Pastor Berhard Pötker.
Capsar Pötker was born sometime in the 1550s, he became in 1589 a Lutheran Pastor in the Parish Buer bei Melle. He died at Buer in 1616. That is all the information I have about him.
Bernhard Pötker was born ca 1597, where I don't know, and he died 18 June 1663 at Lutheran Parish Barkhausen - Rabber. He was scholarship student at Bielefeld Ratsgymnasium, studied at the Universities of Brunschweig and Helmstadt. In 1630 he was Rector Bielefeld Ratsgymnasium, 1631-1633 Pastor Bielefeld - Schildesche, 1634 - 1649 Pastor Bad Iburg and Glade, and was Pastor at Barkhausen - Rabber 1650 - 1663.
Berhard married Margareta Hellersieck 1614 and after 1663. Her father was Johann Hellersieck, of the large and politically prominent Heilersieg/Hellersieg/Hellersieck family.
This couple had a number of children and grandchildren many of whom became Lutheran Pastors.
As Caspar was a small parish pastor it would seen he would not have been wealthy, and Bernhard was from a family so poor he was a scholarship student. Caspar was a pastor a Buer and Berhard was a pastor at Barkhausen. These villages are a very short distance apart. These facts suggest Caspar may have been the father of Bernhard.
I am eager for any information.
Thank you,
Prof. Dr. J. S. Poetker