More about Dr. Bodo Otto and the Association |
"My search for my ancestors began in 1968 with very small results. I had to learn to search. My grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles had already died, so there was no one left with answers. I knew about my great grandfather Daniel Henry Otto, and that he was from Pennsylvania. After our father died in 1972, my brother Claud Daniel (Dan) Otto asked me to help him find information about the person for whom he was named. That was when our search really took off.
In every library & museum we left our names and stated that we were searching for our Otto ancestors. Dan & his wife Ann made many trips, and in every place they stayed Dan searched the telephone directory for Otto's. In Williamsport, Pennsylvania they found John Bodo Otto III and William Gibson III. John & Bill knew they were related, but Dan did not know that we were. He just knew he had found some Otto's and that we needed to follow up.
My sister, Margaret Brown had been visiting her son in Ohio in 1980 when I flew there to help drive her car home. Before returning to Texas we did a lot of research in Berks County, Pennsylvania where we made the definite connection proving we are descendants of Dr. Bodo Otto.
Next Dan received a letter and documents from Pat Godwin who lives in North Carolina. She had discovered his name at the Reading, Pennsylvania museum. This lead to much correspondence. Dan, Pat & I wanted to find enough descendents to have a reunion so we began a mailing list.
Our first reunion was held in 1982 at Kaercher Creek Park, near Reading with 80 descendents of Dr Bodo's youngest son Dr. John Augustus Otto. At this time our association was formed To honor and perpetuate the memory of Dr. Bodo Otto and have fellowship with his descendents."
The reunions have been held every year since. Sometimes with many in attendance and other times with only a few. We have found descendents of each of Dr. Bodo Otto's children and there are now more than 200 families on our mailing list.
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