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

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Karen’s Chatt!

Tombstone Tuesday–John D. Hiller

This is the tombstone of John Dietrich Hiller, located in row 6 of Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: John D. Hiller 1870-1952 “John” Dietrich Hiller was born 6 August 1870 in Adams County, Indiana, the son of Jacob and Martha (Sundmacher) Hiller. John was baptized 11 September 1870 at Zion Chatt …

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Restorations to Zion Chatt’s Cemetery, 2015

Keeping a 150-year-old cemetery in good condition can be a challenge. Occasionally repairs to tombstones that are leaning or broken need to be made and recently several markers in Zion Chatt’s Cemetery had a face-lift, thanks to Kevin Foster of FOSCO Services, Monroe, Indiana. Zion’s Church Council initiated and followed through with the restoration project. …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Jacob & Martha (Sundmacher) Hiller

This is the tombstone of Jacob and Martha (Sundmacher) Hiller, located in row 6 of Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: FATHER Jacob 1842-1926 MOTHER Martha 1848-1922 HILLER Jacob and Martha were the parents of Katharina Hiller (1882-1910), who married Georg Linn, a couple I recently wrote a Tombstone Tuesday about. Jacob …

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The Ministers of Zion Chatt, Rev. W.F.H. Heuer (#15)

Werner F.H. Heuer was born 10 March 1876 in Hermannsburg, Germany, the only child of John Henry and Katharine Dorothea (Lilje) Heuer. His parents were nearly 40 years old and had been married for 13 years when Werner was born. Werner was baptized two days after his birth. His family moved to Hannover when he was …

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