Henry Adams Otto, a prosperous and well known citizen of Council Bluffs, was born near Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois, on the 20th of December, 1850. His parents were Daniel and Mary Magdalene (Nayerhood) Otto, the former a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where his birth occurred in 1796. He was .a carpenter and joiner by trade, and in 1844 he located in Stephenson County, Illinois, where he lived up to the time of his death, which was occasioned by a railroad accident near Freeport, Illinois, in 1861. At that time the railroad was known as the Racine & Mississippi but is now the Chicago & Milwaukee. Mr. and Mrs. Otto were the parents of fifteen children, eight sons and seven daughters. Four of the sons died in infancy but the remainder of the children lived to years of maturity. One son, John, who was born exactly twenty-four years earlier than our subject, passed away in 1900, and the mother of this large and interesting family departed this life near Freeport, Illinois, in 1862, when she had attained the age of sixty-five years.

Henry Adams Otto attended the common schools of Freeport, Illinois, for several years and also at Dakota, Illinois. When sixteen years of age he began to learn the trade of masonry, with which he was connected for five years. At the end of that time, on the 1st of June, 1871, he arrived in Council Bluffs and took up the work of bridge building in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company, between Council Bluffs and Boone, Iowa. He was later given a position as foreman in the building department on the division between Council Bluffs and Carroll, Iowa, and is still employed in this capacity, his long continuance in the service of the railroad being proof of the able and efficient manner in which he discharges his duties.

On the 26th of October, 1869, Mr. Otto was united in marriage at Freeport, Illinois, to Miss Louise Henrietta Miller, who was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, February 21, 1853, and was a daughter of Henry G. and Louise (Taressa) Miller, of Freeport. Her father was born in Mecklenburg, Sehwerin, Germany, April 6, 1823, while the mother's birth occurred in Nice, Prussia, Germany, on the 21st of January, 1821. The former, who was a carpenter by trade, came to Council Bluffs in 1865 and aided in the construction of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. For a time after arriving here he lived with his family in a log hut which was built in pioneer days by the Mormons on the site of the present home of Henry A. Otto at No. 215 Vine Street, which was built by Mr. Miller. The latter continued in the employ of the railroad company until the spring of 1888, when he was compelled to give up his position on account of the ill health of his wife, who passed away on the 15th of June of that year. Her father was a captain in the German army and saw active service in the France-Prussian War. He was wounded during this conflict and on that account was given a life position with the government. Mr. Miller survived his wife until the 30th of January, 1905, when he, too, was called to his final rest, both funerals being conducted by the Rev. T. J. Mackey, at that time rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in this city, who is now filling the pulpit in All Saints Church in Omaha. Mr. Miller was a Presbyterian in religious faith, while his wife was a Catholic, having been educated in a convent in Germany. He served for nearly three years during the Civil War, being a member of Company I, Thirteenth Illinois Cavalry. He was injured while in the service and received a comfortable pension until his death. In his fraternal relations Mr. Miller was a member of the Masonic fraternity and his wife acted as treasurer of the Eastern Star.

Unto this worthy couple were born six children, Mrs. Otto being now the only surviving member. She acquired a common-school education at Freeport, and by her marriage has become the mother of the following named: Albert Henry Otto, born in Freeport, Illinois, July 24, 1870, attended the city schools of Council Bluffs and was graduated from a business college. After leaving school he was for some time employed in a clerical position and later assisted his father in railroad work. While aiding in the construction of a bridge at Kansas City, Missouri, in January, 1905, he received .an injury to his spine, from which he has never recovered. He makes his home with his parents and is a member of the Eagles and the Knights and Ladies of Security. Louise Luella Otto, whose birth occurred in Council Bluffs, June 26, 1875, was married to Adolph Kastner on the 5th of October, 1897, by whom she has a son, Ralph, born May 6, 1899. Mr. Kastner is employed as bookkeeper for the John Deere Implement Company in Omaha, but resides with his family in Council Bluffs. Viola Victoria Otto, who was born in Council Bluffs on the 26th of December, 1878, passed away December 29, 1901. For several years and up to within a very short time of her death she filled the position of bookkeeper and later chief operator for the Nebraska Telephone Company. She was a member of the Episcopal Church and her funeral was conducted by Rector T. J. Mackey, who performed her christening baptismal. Elmer Earl, born November 27, 1880, is a traveling salesman for the National Refining Company of Omaha. He is a member of the Illinois Commercial Travelers Association and resides in Council Bluffs. Jesse Jerome, whose birth occurred on the 24th of March 1883, lives in Denver and is employed as electrician for the Union Pacific Railroad Company. He was united in marriage, on the l1th of December, 1905, to Miss Etha Floretta Florence, and fraternally is connected with the Eagles. Ethel Etoyla Otto, born in Council Bluffs, August 27, 1885, became the wife of Noah Mattingly, a traveling salesman for the National Refining Company of Omaha. The marriage was celebrated on the 12th of October, 1901, and the young couple now make their home in Council Bluffs. Pansy May Otto, whose birth occurred in this on the 17th of February, 1889, gave her hand in marriage to Fred Fitch Chambers on the 11th of May, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers reside in Council Bluffs and he is a traveling salesman for the Beebe-Runyan Wholesale Furniture Company of Omaha. Walter Harold Otto, the youngest member of the family, was born January 11, 1896. All of the children received their education in the city schools of Council Bluffs.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Otto is connected with the Masonic Fraternity, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Woodmen of the World and the Knights and Ladies of Security, .while his wife is connected with the Lady Maccabees, Independent Order of Foresters and the Knights and Ladies of Security.

In religious faith both our subject and his wife are members of the Episcopal Church, and in his political affiliations Mr. Otto is a Democrat, though without aspiration for office. In addition to his comfortable home at No. 215 Vine street he owns nine properties in this city, which return to him a gratifying income, and he is thus enabled to enjoy all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. The family is widely and favorably known throughout the community and the hospitality of their pleasant home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends.