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

Tombstone Tuesday–Rebecca (Shell) Schmidt

This is reportedly the tombstone of Rebecca Schmidt, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. This marble tombstone was very weathered and illegible when I took this photo in 2012. However, the Van Wert County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society read Zion Schumm’s Cemetery in 1992, when the inscription was apparently still readable. Their reading of this tombstone:

Rebecca Schmidt
Gest [?] 1862
27 J, 8 M, 13 T

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Karen’s Chatt! I wish each one of you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. May your home be filled with happiness and thankfulness as you gather with family and friends today.

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.

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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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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