Rockton, Vernon County, Wisconsin, Starke Geerdts Family: Missing links & dead ends

Starke or Starkey of Rockton, Wisconsin

Bertha STARKE, who married Gustav GEERDTS in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had a brother, Fritz Starke or Starkey, born in Neu Schoenfeld or Alt Oels, Kreis Bunzlau, Germany, who lived with his wife Mathilde in Rockton, Wisconsin, from 1894 until at least 1900. According to local research, Mathilde, born 12 Jan., 1857, died on July 4, 1900, and is buried in the Rockton Cemetery, which is on the east side of Highway 131, on the north edge of the village.

According to the 1900 Census, Fritz Starke and his wife Mathilde and 6 children lived in Section 2 of Stark Township, just east of Rockton, where he had a farm. He evidently drove a wagon for the post office as well, according to the letters to Bertha. His letters state that the Railroad would be coming through the town by 1900, and that the railroad would buy up his contract. But the railroad never came to Rockton.

The family included:

Starkey, Fritz head Oct 1859 age 40 married 15yrs immigrated 1894 occupation farmer born: Germany
Matilda wife Feb 1857 age 43 married 15yrs 6 children (note: so where are the other 2?) 6 living b Ger
Anna daughter, Sep 1881 age 18 b Ger (note; this may be a sister to Bertha Starke Geerdts, not a niece, or it may be a daughter of one parent but not both)
Henry son May 1886 age 14 b Ger
Anna dau Mar 1889 age 11 b Ger
Fredie son Mar 1889 age 11 b Ger

Bertha had a good friend, sister or half-sister, Pauline Kassner or Kastner, who was married to Theodore Kastner of Medford, Taylor County, Wisconsin. They had a farm there in the 1890's, but no mention is made of them after that.

Bertha's brother Ernst STARKE was a butcher in Kiel, Germany until about 1924, when the family lost track of them. A daughter is believed to have married a PETERSEN or PETERSON and still lived in Kiel in the 1990s, but would not answer phone calls or letters.