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. The Milligan Painting — 22 comments
  5. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 21 comments

Author's posts

Charles Schumm Residence, 1908

I enjoy collecting old postcards from this area and I found this postcard a few years ago. The message on the card was written in 1908 by Jeanetta Schumm, wife of Charles Schumm. The other side is a nice photo of their home, including their horse and buggy. If you look closely and you can …

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Tombstone Tuesday–John Bausser

This is the tombstone of John Bausser, located in row 6 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: John Husband of Polly Bausser Born Apr 11, 1847 Died Apr 11, 1898 BAUSSER The past two weeks I have featured the Bausser tombstones in Zion Lutheran Cemetery. Three Baussers are buried …

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Another Schumm Centenarian

Centenarian: (noun), a person that is 100 years old or older. Last weekend I attended the 100th birthday celebration for Velma Louise Schumm, the most recent Schumm centenarian. Velma, who turned 100 on 18 June, has lived all of her life near Rockford, in the home where she grew up. She is a life-time member …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Pauline Grabner Bausser Andress Bollenbacher

This is the tombstone of Pauline Bausser, located in row one of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: PAULINE BAUSSER 1856-1929 Last week I featured the tombstone of Marie Bausser (1887-1905), daughter of Pauline and John Bausser. These three Baussers are buried in Zion’s cemetery, but only Pauline’s death and …

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Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Chattanooga, Ohio

A few weeks ago I showed some photos of the old Chattanooga Bank building, as seen on Google Earth. Yes, among other businesses typical to a thriving small town in the early 20th Century, Chattanooga also had a bank. The Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Chattanooga, Ohio, was located in a brick building, the …

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