The Otteni Family in Europe
1676 - 1831

Members of the Otteni family still living in Urloffen, Germany maintain that early family members migrated from northern Italy. From his grandfather Theodor Otteni's research, Peter Otteni (born in Germany) suggests that the Otteni family came from the Torino, Italy area.  Family lore in the United States suggests a similar origin in that the Otteni family migrated from the Lombardy region of Italy which is approximately 200 miles south of Urloffen.

It is thought that the Otteni family migrated to Germany as master stone carvers during the 'construction boom' of cathedrals in southwestern Germany.  From Theodor Otteni's research, the Otteni name is listed among the masters that participated in the construction of the cathedral at Freiburg, Germany.

History also tells us that Europe entered a new age beginning about the year 1650.   The Thirty Years' War of Religion had ended and with the break up of the medieval church. The medieval view of life and of the world began fading away. As R. R. Palmer and Joel Colton described in their book "History of the Modern World,"

If the reader were to take a map of Europe, set one leg of a pair of dividers on the city of Paris, and the other leg describe a circle having a radius of five hundred miles, he would mark out a zone from which, since about the year 1650, a great deal of modern or "western" civilizations has radiated.

This five hundred mile radius includes the Lombardy portion of northern Italy as well as all of France and England, most of Germany and Switzerland. With this "western civilization" environment, it can be speculated that movement at this time within this radius meant a chance for better economical opportunities.   For whatever reasons, the Otteni family made the move and flourished, as confirmed by the large number of descendants still living in Urloffen today.
 

Urloffen is a small village located in Baden Germany. Specifically, it is located 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of the Rhine River and Strasbourg, France. Offenburg, Germany, the seat of the Kreis (district) Administration, lies 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Urloffen.

This area of southern Germany is used mainly for agricultural purposes. One major agricultural product is grapes. The surrounding hills are filled with vineyards.