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

May 07

Tombstone Tuesday–Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz

This is the tombstone of Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz, located in St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed:

May 03

William G. Hoffer, Editor

After spending the past several months extracting and posting information from a single 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald, I wanted to learn more about the newspaper’s editor and publisher, William G. Hoffer. 

Apr 30

Tombstone Tuesday–Adam J. & Christina Matilda (Bleeke) Bienz

This is the tombstone of Adam and Christina Matilda (Bleeke) Bienz, located in row 1 of Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, also known as Bleeke Cemetery, Decatur, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed:

Apr 26

News from Wren & Around Ohio, 1904

This will likely be the final blog post featuring items from the 5 May 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald,  William G. Hoffer, publisher. I have spent several weeks writing about Willshire news and the local businesses mentioned in that newspaper.In addition to all the information about the Willshire community, the 1904 Willshire Herald had some items of interest about the neighboring village of Wren, Ohio:

Apr 23

Tombstone Tuesday–Wilhilmine Christine (Reinking) Bienz

This is the tombstone of Wilhilmine Christine (Reinking) Bienz, located in row 6 of Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Decatur, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed: