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

Jun 21

A June Wedding

June is traditionally a popular month for weddings and my aunt and uncle, Esther and Al Krueckeberg, celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago. They married in June of 1951.

Jun 18

Tombstone Tuesday–Anna Margaret (Giessler) Stegmeier

This is the tombstone of Anna Margaret (Giessler) Stegmeier, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Anna M.
Wife of
A. Stegmeier
1890-1928
At Rest

Jun 14

Scar Memorial Plaque

A few months ago, while visiting my Aunt Esther and Uncle Al, my mom’s sister and her husband, I noticed this nice plaque on their wall. My Aunt Esther said that it belonged to her mother, Hilda (Scaer) Schumm (1895-1997), who is also my grandmother, but I do not recall ever seeing it.

Jun 11

Tombstone Tuesday-Anthony “Tony” Stegmeier

This is the tombstone of Anthony G. Stegmeier, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Jun 07

A Letter Concerning a Gravestone

I recently came across this old letter, written to my great-grandfather Ludwig “Louis” J. Schumm (1851-1938). The letter was written on 26 August 1909 and is from C. F. Germann, Wren, Ohio.