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. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 25 comments
  5. The Milligan Painting — 24 comments

Author's posts

Feb 21

Oil Field Debris, early 1900s

Today I am taking a break from Nimrod Headington’s journal that details his journey to the California gold mines via sailing around South America. I will resume his journal in a week or two. Instead, I am returning to the time of the turn of the century oil boom. While going through some old photos …

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Feb 18

Tombstone Tuesday–George Geisler

This is the tombstone of George Geisler, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

George Geisler
1964-1943

Feb 14

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 4

Today, the fourth in a series of blog posts, the transcription the 1852 journal of Nimrod Headington, my fourth great-granduncle. [1]

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913), at the age of 24, set sail from New York in February 1852, bound for San Francisco, California, to join the gold rush and to hopefully make his fortune. The Panama Canal had not been built at that time and he sailed around the tip of South America to reach the California coast.  

Feb 11

Tombstone Tuesday–Elisabeth Krieb

This is the tombstone of Elisabeth Krieb, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

ELISABETH KRIEB
1867-1938
John 5:21

Krieb is a different spelling for this surname and is the spelling on her death certificate as well. In the church and local records the usual spelling is Grieb. Her brother and parents, who are also buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery, have the Grieb spelling on their tombstones.

Feb 07

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 3

Today, the third in a series of blog posts, the transcription the 1852 journal of Nimrod Headington, my fourth great-granduncle. [1]

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913), at the age of 24, set sail from New York in February 1852, bound for San Francisco, California, to join the gold rush and to hopefully make his fortune. The Panama Canal had not been built at that time and he sailed around the tip of South America to reach the California coast.