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 and genealogy research for over 35 years and am Credentialed as a Board-certified genealogist by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, 2003-2024, retired 2024. My main genealogical interests are family research, cemetery research, and historical and genealogical research of the Chatt area. I also 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 U.S. Daughters of 1812, First Families of Ohio, and First Families of Mercer and Van Wert Counties. I am a retired dental hygienist and our church organist for over 60 years. 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. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 25 comments
  5. The Milligan Painting — 24 comments

Author's posts

Jul 17

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 22

This is the final installment of the transcriptions of Nimrod Headington’s 1852 journal, Trip to California. Today’s blog post begins in early July 1853. After panning for gold for nearly a year, Nimrod is ready to head back to Ohio. Nimrod’s story continues:

Jul 14

Tombstone Tuesday-William A. & Katherine M. (Schumm) Buechner

This is the tombstone of William A. and Katherine M. (Schumm) Buechner, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:
BUECHNER
William A.
1865-1955
Katherine M.
1874-1958

Jul 10

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 21

This is the twenty-first in a series, the transcription of Nimrod Headington’s 1852 journal, Trip to California. Today’s blog post begins in February 1853, as Nimrod and his partners continue their search for gold. Nimrod has been panning for gold for seven months but has not struck it big yet. Nimrod’s story continues:

Jul 07

Tombstone Tuesday-Arnold L. & Naomi M. (Schumm) Schumm

This is the tombstone of Arnold L. and Naomi (Schumm) Schumm, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SCHUMM
Arnold L.
1890-1968

Naomi M
1897-1982

Jul 03

Fourth of July 2020

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, the day we have celebrated as our nation’s birthday since 1776. It has been 244 years since the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that the thirteen colonies were no longer part of Great Britain, but were independent sovereign states that were part of a new nation. This Fourth of July holiday will be much different than the ones we remember in years past.