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

Jul 07

The Breuninger Boots

Last Saturday was a very pleasant summer day so we decided to drive up to northern Indiana and spend the day in Shipshewana. I actually had an ulterior motive. Ever since we were up there last month, talking with the shoemaker at the Center for Traditional Arts, 160 Morton Street, about my great-great-grandfather’s boots, I …

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Jul 04

Happy Fourth of July!

Independence Day 2017. 241 years since the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that the thirteen colonies were no longer part of Great Britain, but independent sovereign states, part of a new nation. “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.” –Benjamin Franklin “Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the …

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Jun 30

Chatt-Valley Vacation Bible School 2017, Chatt Methodist Church

This past week Zion Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, Ohio, the church we attend, along with the Chattanooga United Methodist Church hosted their annual Vacation Bible School. The two churches have combined to host very successful and popular Bible School programs for as long as I can remember. They take turns hosting Bible School every other …

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Jun 27

Tombstone Tuesday–Elizabeth Huffman

This is the tombstone of Elizabeth Huffman, located in row 3 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: HUFFMAN Elizabeth 1859-1951 Elizabeth Huffman and her twin brother Philip were born 24 December 1859 in Mercer County, Ohio, to Ferdinand and Elizabeth (Herzog) Huffman. Some sources show that her mother’s maiden …

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Jun 23

Found Shoes, aka Concealed Shoes

We were in an antique store in Shipshewana, Indiana, a couple weeks ago where we had a nice conversation with the owner. He had a little workshop in the back of the store and he was working on a pair of shoes. He was very knowledgeable about shoes and I mentioned the old boots I …

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