Greetings:
I have just joined the Mecklenburg list.
Does anyone know if there are Roethke's remaining in the
Mecklenburg area? If so, they may be connected to my wife
through her mother, born, Della Roethke (d. 1987).
The Roethke's were researched to Christian Friedrich Roethke (b.
Schwedt a. Oder, 1713) by the wife, now deceased, of John Ward,
Sydney, Australia. One of his ancestors married a Roethke making
a connection between the two families.
Theodore Roethke (b. 1908, d. 1983), was a poet. He is my wife's
second cousin, one time removed, although we did not know this
while he lived.
Theodore's grandparents, Friedrich Wilhelm Roethke and his wife
Bertha Talbert, were Chief Forester and Head Housekeeper,
respectively, for the von Arnim estate near Pasewalk. One of my
wife's uncles was named Arnim. I never heard my mother-in-law
speak of her brother's name in connection with the von Arnim
estate. I suspect she and her siblings may not have known of it.
Friedrich Wilhelm gave up his job with the von Arnim estate and
emigrated to Saginaw, MI, after a short stay in Berlin.
Theodore Roethke's biography, "The Glass House; The Life of
Theodore Roethke," was written by Allan Seager, McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1968.
I will be happy to share additional information that I have
concerning the Roethke's with anyone interested.
Thank you,
Gene E. Bobeck
Moscow, Idaho USA