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

1940 Willshire School Bus for Chatt-area Students

How did rural students get to school in 1940? By riding a school bus, just like they do today. Below is a 1940 photo of students who lived in the Chattanooga, Ohio, area and rode the school bus to the Willshire Public School. With help, I have been able to identify most of the students …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Mary Ursula Hiller

This is the tombstone of Maria Ursula Hiller, located in row 10 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Hier Ruht In Gott Mary R [?] Dau of G & C Hiller Died Aug. 9, 1888 Aged 7 mo According to Zion Chatt’s records, Maria Ursula Hiller was born to …

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A 1957 Journal

I never realized until lately, while sorting through some papers, that my mom regularly kept a journal. Well, sort of. She used a date book and wrote down events that happened during the year. I found her date book/journal for 1957 rather interesting and will share some events and noteworthy items that she chose to …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Lennie Hiller

This is the tombstone of Lennie Hiller, located in row 10 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Lennie Dau. of G & C Hiller Died May 8, 1883 Aged 7 Y 8 M The inscription for this young girl is carved on the side of her mother’s tombstone, Caroline …

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Remembering Velma Schumm (1914-2016)

This past week we said good-bye to a Schumm centenarian, a faithful servant of the church, a life-long member of the community, and a friend to many. Velma Louise Schumm passed away 6 February 2016 at the Laurels of Shane Hill, near Rockford. She was 101 years old, the same age as my grandma Schumm …

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