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

Garage Treasures

Unlike the dainty hankies, aprons, and nylons I found in the house, the garage stuff that Joe is going through is rough, worn, and dare I say, dirty. I have acquired a new appreciation for acetone, which cuts the sticky grime coating on some of the items that were stashed away out there for decades. …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Georg Strable

This is the tombstone of Georg Strable, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Georg Sohn von Peter und Dora Strable Gest von Marz 22, 1883 Alter von 22 Y und 5 T Translation: Georg, son of Peter and Dora Strable, died 22 March 1883, aged …

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Jacob Miller Jr Was a Woodman of the World

I always mention the unique grave markers of the Woodmen of the World in my tombstone/cemetery talk, but until a few days ago I did not know that a member of our family was a member of their fraternal benefit society. The Woodmen of the World is a fraternal benefit society–a non-profit organization owned and …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Peter and Dora (Herbolzheimer) Strabel

This is the tombstone of Peter and Dora (Herbolzheimer) Strabel, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: STRABEL Peter Strabel Born Oct. 21, 1818 Died Sept. 12, 1889 Dora Strabel Born Aug. 25, 1826 Died Feb. 18, 1913   There are several spelling variations in the …

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More About the Post Office in Chattanooga, Ohio

A couple weeks ago I posted some photos of Chattanooga, Ohio, postmarks. Since then I discovered yet another. Below is a photo of an envelope that bears a 7 January 1895 Chattanooga, Ohio, postmark. The return address is to Geo Heffner, Chattanooga, Ohio, and the letter was sent to Allentown, Pennsylvania. And I learned more …

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