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? — 32 comments
  3. The Old Willshire Hotel — 30 comments
  4. The Milligan Painting — 22 comments
  5. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 21 comments

Author's posts

Tombstone Tuesday–Johann Georg Schumm

This is the tombstone of Johann Georg Schumm, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. His sandstone marker is still very readable and is inscribed: Selig sind die toda- en die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an Ia Der Geist Sprieght dass sie ruhen von ihier arbeit, Den ihre …

Continue reading

Letters From a WWII Soldier

Yesterday I started sorting through the World War II letters my dad wrote and sent to my Aunt Em and her husband decades ago. A few weeks ago Em’s family gave me the stack of letters that had been stored away in Em’s attic all those years. I plan to eventually transcribe them all, but …

Continue reading

Tombstone Tuesday–J. Michael Grund

This is the tombstone of J. Michael Grund, located in row three of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The broken marker is inscribed: J. Michael Sohn von [?] & E. Maria Grund Gestorben Den.19, Novbr. 1857 Alter 24 Jahre, 19 Tag Translation: J. Michael, son of [unreadable] & E. Maria Grund, died the …

Continue reading

A Story for Veterans Day

This coming Monday, 11 November, we commemorate Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day was created to recognize of the end of World War I.  Fighting between the Allied nations and Germany ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. That date is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”  Veterans …

Continue reading

Tombstone Tuesday–Georg & Maria Grund

This is the tombstone of Georg and Maria Grund, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: GRUND Maria Ehefr. bon G. Grund Gest. Den 9 Marz 1913 Alter 59Y, 3M, 26T Georg Grund Geb. Den 12 Dez. 1844 Gest. Den 5 Apr 1926 Translation: Maria, …

Continue reading