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–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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Remembering Aunt Kate

In place of my regular Tombstone Tuesday I am instead posting a tribute in memory of my Aunt Kate who passed away this past weekend. Born Catherine Jean Miller to Carl and Gertrude (Brewster) Miller in 1927, everyone knew her by the name of Kate. I was fortunate enough to be able to call her …

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