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. The Old Willshire Hotel — 30 comments
  2. Haunted Mercer County? — 30 comments
  3. Florence (Schumm) Miller (1929-2016) — 21 comments
  4. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 21 comments
  5. The Milligan Painting — 18 comments

Author's posts

May 23

Tombstone Tuesday-Rebecka Sundemacher

This is the tombstone of Rebecka A. Sundemacher, located in row 12 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Rebecka A.
Frau von [wife of]
J.D. Gundemacher

May 19

Area Patterson Exam Grads, 1912-1914

Last week I showed the names the Van Wert and Mercer County students who successfully passed the Patterson Exam. The Patterson Exam was given to eighth grade students to make sure they were ready to enter high school. If a student passed the exam he or she could enter the high school of their choice.

May 16

Tombstone Tuesday-John Hancock

This is an interesting tombstone inscription. It is a rebus puzzle, a word picture puzzle. The word rebus is derived from Latin phrase non verbis, sed rebus, meaning “not by words, but by things.” Can you figure it out?

May 12

1911 Patterson Exams in Mercer and Van Wert Counties

As the school year draws to a close, students and teachers look forward to summer vacation. But before wrapping up the school year there are those end-of-the-school-year tests, to determine how much information the students retained during the year. I remember those dreaded tests very well.

May 09

Tombstone Tuesday-Carl P. Bollenbacher

This is the tombstone of Carl P. Bollenbacher, located in row 3 of St. Paul’s County Church Cemetery, formerly known as St. Paul’s UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

CARL P.
BOLLENBACHER
Died May 8, 1906
Age 15y, 3m, 2d