Karen Bennett

Greetings from the Chattanooga, Ohio, area. Yes, Ohio has its very own Chattanooga, aka Chatt, a small village in west-central Ohio, near the Indiana border. I have been doing family history research for over 20 years and am a Board-Certified genealogist, certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. My main genealogical interests are family research, cemetery research, and historical and genealogical research of the Chatt area, with a focus on two area Lutheran Churches, both named Zion Lutheran, one in Chatt and the other in Schumm, Ohio. Family names I am researching include Miller, Schumm, Brewster, Rueck, Reid, Headington, Huey, Bryan, Whiteman, Schinnerer, Scaer, Breuninger, Bennett, and a few others. I belong to several lineage societies, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, U.S. Daughters of 1812, First Families of Ohio, and First Families of Mercer and Van Wert Counties. I am also a retired dental hygienist and our church organist. I hope you enjoy Karen's Chatt.

Most commented posts

  1. Golden Wedding Anniversary — 37 comments
  2. Haunted Mercer County? — 34 comments
  3. The Old Willshire Hotel — 30 comments
  4. The Milligan Painting — 22 comments
  5. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 21 comments

Author's posts

Friedrich Schinnerer–Immigration & 1st Marriage

Meet Friedrich Schinnerer, my great-great-grandfather. He was born in Ipsheim, Bad-Windsheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, on 8 May 1824, the third child of Georg Michael and Anna Barbara (Zeller) Schinnerer. His paternal grandparents were Johann Conrad and Margaretha (Doepert) Schinnerer. [1] When he was almost 25 years of age Friedrich sailed from Le Havre, France, on …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Friedrich & Elisabeth (Schumm) Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Friedrich and Elisabeth (Schumm) Schinnerer, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Elisabeth Schinnerer Geb. den 17 Nov. 1841 Gest. den 11 Juli 1917 Alter 75 Ja. 7 Mo. 24 Ta. Friedrich Schinnerer Geb. den 8 Mai 1824 Gest. den …

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Rose and Emma Rüeck

The past few weeks have been bitterly cold, very windy, and snowy here in Ohio. Weather alerts on my phone inform me that it is a poor time for outdoor fitness. So I have stayed indoors as much as possible, spending my time going through and sorting old photos. This photo caught my eye and …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Maria (Schumm) Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Maria Schinnerer, located in row 6 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Hier ruhet in Gott Maria Ehefrau des Martin Schinnerer geboren Den 23 December 1842 gestorben Den 2 September 1870 Translation: Here rests in God, Maria, wife of Martin Schinnerer, born the …

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Four Rüeck Sisters

4 schwestern geboren Rüeck. That was written on the back of the old photo. 4 sisters born Rüeck. The photo was taken sometime before 1942, the year that Rosine died. Rosine was the oldest of eight children in the family of four sons and four daughters. The photo was taken in Germany, most likely taken …

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