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

Aug 24

Schumm Signatures, 1849

Have you ever wondered what your ancestor’s signature looked like? If you have an ancestor from the Schumm, Ohio, area, their signature may be written below. Below is a list of names from the old record book of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, that dates back to 1849. Johann G. Streckfuss was Zion’s pastor and their …

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Aug 21

Tombstone Tuesday–Mina Juliana Schumm

This is the tombstone of Mina Juliana Schumm, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Minna Juliana Tochter Fr. und Margaretha SCHUMM Geboren den 11 Mar [illegible] Gestorben [illegible] Alter [illegible] Minna Juliana, daughter of Fr. and Margaretha Schumm, born on 11 March [illegible], died …

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Aug 17

Some Photos from Velma Schumm’s Collection

Today, some old Schumm picture postcards from the Velma Schumm collection. Velma was always very good about labeling and identifying the people in her photos, so it is always a joy to look at them. A review of Velma’s family, who she identified on most of these postcards: Velma’s dad was Philip Schumm (1882-1968) and …

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Aug 14

Tombstone Tuesday–Theodor Wilhelm Schumm

This is the tombstone of Theodor Wilhelm Schumm, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Theodor Wilhelm Sohn von Fr. Und Margaretha Schumm Geborn 24 Nov. 1872 Gestorben 30 Jan. 1876 Alter 3 Jahr, 2 Mo, 6 Tag Theodor Wilhelm, son of Fr. and Margaretha …

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Aug 10

The Last Schumm Postmark, 1953

Last weekend was the biennial Schumm reunion. It was a very hot day but a good-sized crowd, estimated at about 200 descendants of John George Schumm, gathered on the grounds of Zion Lutheran Church for the day-long activities. It was a very good and enjoyable reunion. Yes, it was a good Schumm week. Earlier in …

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