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

Tombstone Tuesday–Catharina Schüler

This is the tombstone of Catharina Schüler, located in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Hier ruhet in Gott Catharina Ehefrau von Michael Schüler Geborn 21 April 1810 Gestorben 3 Deceb 1838 Translation: Here rests in God, Catharina, wife of Michael Schüler, born 21 April 1810, died 3 December …

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A Chatt-Area Graduation?

A reader from Indiana recently sent me a copy of an old photo. Donna found the photo among her sister’s items and had never seen the photo before. Their mother is standing with a group of young adults and Donna believes the photo may be an eighth grade graduation picture, taken about 1910 at a …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Johann Georg Schumm

This is the tombstone of Johann Georg Schumm, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. His sandstone marker is still very readable and is inscribed: Selig sind die toda- en die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an Ia Der Geist Sprieght dass sie ruhen von ihier arbeit, Den ihre …

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Letters From a WWII Soldier

Yesterday I started sorting through the World War II letters my dad wrote and sent to my Aunt Em and her husband decades ago. A few weeks ago Em’s family gave me the stack of letters that had been stored away in Em’s attic all those years. I plan to eventually transcribe them all, but …

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Tombstone Tuesday–J. Michael Grund

This is the tombstone of J. Michael Grund, located in row three of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The broken marker is inscribed: J. Michael Sohn von [?] & E. Maria Grund Gestorben Den.19, Novbr. 1857 Alter 24 Jahre, 19 Tag Translation: J. Michael, son of [unreadable] & E. Maria Grund, died the …

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