Thoughts on Carl Braatz

According to the help article on familysearch wiki about German emigration, it is crucial to know the exact locality from which your ancestor came, since all records are stored locally with no national index.

As stated in a previous post, we believe Carl and an uncle emigrated from Germany in 1867. Their point of origin is "Pomer" which may or may not be an actual town--hence this post.

Pomerania (Pommern in German or Pomorze in Polish) refers to a region of the northern coast of Europe on the Baltic sea, spanning essentially the northern border of present-day Germany and Poland, from the Danish peninsula to the Bay of Gdansk (see map). The majority of the region was part of the Kingdom of Prussia at the time (see this article) which may or may not have been considered "Germany" by US immigration officers and census takers. Thoughts, anyone?
[Edit: looks like yes, that was considered Germany at the time. According to the help article mentioned above, "German immigrants from Pommern often went to Wisconsin. Large numbers also settled in Illinois, Minnesota, and other Midwest states." Carl was in SD by 1900, but I'm not sure where he went before then.]

Searching for Braatz in any of the three German surname distribution maps (linked from https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Surname_Distribution_Maps) gives a preponderance of Braatz in that same area, on the NE coast of modern Germany. It seems most likely to me that my Braatz ancestors came from a city or town in this region. If this is the case, they would be more likely to have come through the port of Hamburg than Bremen, judging by distance (though either is certainly possible). Most German immigrant ships came through NY.

Alternatively, "Pommern" also refers to a city in SW Germany, or Pomer could have been an actual town of the time that does not survive with the same name.

For next time:
Links on Pommern help page
Guide to Hamburg Passenger Lists