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

Nov 26

Tombstone Tuesday–Martin J. Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Martin J. Schinnerer, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Martin J.
Schinnerer
1858-1933

Johann “Martin” Schinnerer was born 14 January 1858, the fourth child born to Pankratius and Anna “Rosina” (Hoffmann/Hofman) Schinnerer.

Nov 22

1915 Confirmation Photo, Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio

Recently I was thrilled to get a digital copy of an old Zion Chatt confirmation photo that I had not seen before, thanks to Tom and Deb  Reichard. They found this confirmation photo recently while going through some of Betty (Weinman) Reichard’s photos. Betty, Tom’s mother, passed away a few weeks ago. The photo is …

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Nov 19

Tombstone Tuesday–Johann Pankratius Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Johann Pankratius Schinnerer, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: JOHANNPantkraeiusSchinnerredGestorbenDen 19 July 1857Alter28 Jah 4M 10T Johann, Pantkraeius Schinnerred, died 19 July 1857, aged 28 years, 4 months, 10 days. This is a tombstone that I use as an …

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Nov 15

A Visit to Harmony, PA

A couple weeks ago we traveled to Harmony, Pennsylvania, where we stayed a couple days with my cousin Linda and had the chance to visit my Aunt Ruth, who turns 100 next month. Harmony is located in Butler County, about ½ hour north of Pittsburgh.

Nov 12

Tombstone Tuesday–Johannes Rapp

This is the sole tombstone in the Harmonist Cemetery, located in the town of Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania. The marker is inscribed, as translated:

Here lies and rests the body of
Johannes Rapp
Born 19 Dec 1783
Died 27 July 1812

The clay on potter’s wheel
awaits that dissolution reveals
the precious salt of new,
joyously resurrected life.

At first glance you would not recognize this area is a burial ground, the final resting place for nearly 100 people. The Harmonist Cemetery looks like a flat grassy area, enclosed by an old limestone wall. The enclosed area is roughly 80 x 140 feet.