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

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael J & Barbara (Geisler) Grieb

This is the tombstone of Michael J and Barbara (Geisler) Grieb, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

GRIEB
Michael J
Grieb
Geboren
Den 26 Jan 1819
Gestorben
Den 11 Feb 1903

Barbara
Grieb
Geboren
1839
Gestorben
Mar. 14, 1929

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 2

Today, the second 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 hopefully make his fortune. The Panama Canal had not been built yet, so he sailed around the tip of South America to reach the California coast.  

Tombstone Tuesday–John E. Grieb

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

JOHN E. GRIEB
1869-1951

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852

It was 1852. Gold was discovered in California a couple years before and young men were rushing to California to stake their claims, hoping to strike it big and make their fortunes.

This was also the dream of one of my ancestors, Nimrod Headington.  

Tombstone Tuesday–Walter L. & Paula H. (Buechner) Allmandinger

This is the tombstone of Walter and Paula (Buechner) Allmandinger, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

ALLMANDINGER
Walter L.
1900-1969
Paula H.
1901-2004