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. The Old Willshire Hotel — 30 comments
  2. Haunted Mercer County? — 30 comments
  3. Florence (Schumm) Miller (1929-2016) — 21 comments
  4. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 21 comments
  5. The Milligan Painting — 18 comments

Author's posts

Jun 02

Area Patterson Grads, 1915 & 1916

Continuing on with a few more names of the Patterson Exam graduates from this area in 1915 and 1916.

May 30

Memorial Day 2023

Yesterday, in honor and remembrance of Memorial Day, we visited a couple local cemeteries. It is humbling to see the flags placed near each of the graves of those who served in our armed forces and the graves of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

May 26

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, traditionally marks the beginning of summer. But the true meaning of the holiday is much more than that.

May 23

Tombstone Tuesday-Rebecka Sundemacher

This is the tombstone of Rebecka A. Sundemacher, located in row 12 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Rebecka A.
Frau von [wife of]
J.D. Gundemacher

May 19

Area Patterson Exam Grads, 1912-1914

Last week I showed the names the Van Wert and Mercer County students who successfully passed the Patterson Exam. The Patterson Exam was given to eighth grade students to make sure they were ready to enter high school. If a student passed the exam he or she could enter the high school of their choice.