Hi Mike,
I am part of the Arens line that married with your Otten line in Ft. Wayne, IN. My grandmother was Henrietta Arens born in Fort Wayne. Her father was a Henry Arens and her grandfather was Bernard Arens (b. June 8 1842 in "Estervague" Germany) and his sister Elizabeth married a Nicholas Otten and they resided in Ft Wayne. It's just today that I came across Theckla Arens' obituary and saw her origins in Esterwegen. I had seen on my Arens's ancestors records Estervague but could never make sense of that. I am not sure where Theckla married into the Arens line but her obit shows sons Herman and Henry which are very common names in my Arens lines. Her obit says she arrived in Ft. Wayne 1874. Other surnames that show up in this part of my tree are Sinnigen, Avers, Hecke, Kessen and Becker.
My research got underway five or six years ago utilizing Fort Wayne newspaper obits and Allen County library resources.
Your post is old so I don’t know if you will get this, but I would love to share information. You can reach me at Jennifer_lehman@hotmail.com.
Best Wishes