Finding the Ottes

Otte home in Patterson NJ

My maiden name is Otte, pronounced with a short "o" sound: \ott\. Where did this name come from? Who are my ancestors?

I have spend years researching these questions, but couldn't find many answers until the advent of modern communication.

 I knew that the name was Dutch. Although my father never knew his father (as detailed in an earlier post),  he knew that his father spoke several languages and was of Dutch ancestry. The 1880 census confirmed that Richard (or Dirk) Otte was born in Holland.

In the early 2000's, I placed some queries on a family history bulletin board (this was long before the Internet we have now!) and received a reply from a man named "Ed Otte." He said that he thought we might be cousins. It turned out that his great-grandfather was my grandfather's brother! I wrote back and told him about the misspelling of the family name in the 1880 census, and the discovery that Richard Otte was really Dick Otte. He ran with that information, and within a few months presented me with the Otte line back to Pieter Hendik Otten van Willegen, who died in 1581.

Where does this information come from?  Family Search has a LOT of Netherlands records. They say, "When you have Dutch ancestors you are one lucky person as many records have been put on websites that are available to all at no cost." Several of the descendants of Lenndert Marinus Otte (who had at least two sons migrate to America) have combed these databases and compiled the information.

If you have older relatives, start asking questions while they are still alive. Aunts, uncles, and cousins may have information available or even valuable clues to where information can be found. "Cousin" is a very loose term. I once met a relative who was entering his senior year of high school, just as I was. His great-grandmother was my grandmother's twin sister, so we weren't really cousins, but that is how we viewed each other. I have found a lot of pictures and information from these distant cousins.

Another way of finding relatives is through DNA testing. Today, it isn't very expensive (https://www.23andme.com/) and gives you valuable information about where your ancestors came from and who might be a cousin. When my son, Daryl, had his DNA tested, he received information that he might be related to three people: his first cousin, Kyle Olson, and two other people: Ginny Sanchez and Ed Otte. When he asked me about this, I told him that Ginny and Ed had done a lot of the research that I now have, and I actually had dinner once with Ed! Ginny now has a Facebook page, "Otte Family Tree (Ottes from Paterson, NJ USA)" that I just discovered. She has a lot of pictures that I will be placing in FamilySearch for others to enjoy.