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–Johann Dietrich

This is the tombstone of Johann Dietrich, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Heir Ruhet in Gott Joh Dietrich Geboren Den. 13 Oct. 1860 Gestorben Den. 30 Marz 1903 Here rests in God, Joh Dietrich, born 14 Oct 1860, died 30 March 1903. “Johann” …

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Why Was This 1904 Newspaper Saved?

Below is a photo of the front page of the Thursday, May 5th 1904 issue of the Willshire Herald. I found the 8-page newspaper among some Schumm papers and I speculate that my maternal great-grandfather Louis J. Schumm (1851-1938) saved the paper. His son, my grandpa Cornelius, would have only been about 8 years old …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Sophie Dietrich

This is the tombstone of Sophie Dietrich, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Sophie DIETRICH Dec. 25, 1866 Sept. 20 1945 Anna Maria Sophia “Sophie” Dietrich was born in Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, on 25 December 1866. She was the daughter of …

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1937 Germann Reunion Minutes

Last week I shared some information from the booklet, Germann Family Record, Vol. 1, No. 1, published in January 1939. I have copies of the first two issues but I do not know how many others were published. Their purpose was to provide Germann family history, information, and notifications of vital family events. This first …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Johann “Adam” Dietrich

This is the tombstone of Johann Adam Dietrich, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Johann Adam Dietrich 27 Jan. 1828 10 Feb. 1912 Alter 84 J. u. 14 T. DIETRICH Johann “Adam” Dietrich was born 27 January 1828 [1], the son of Jacob and …

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