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

Jacob Rueck Was Not a Revolutionist

Late Jacob Rueck Not Revolutionist. That 1918 Portland, Oregon, newspaper headline caught my attention as I was searching on GenealogyBank.com. Could the article be referring to my great-great-grandfather Jacob Rueck? He lived near Portland, Oregon. What in the world was this article from the Oregonian about? Jacob Rueck had died 23 January 1918, about two …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Vernon & Carmella (Bury) Heffner

This is the tombstone of Vernon and Carmella (Bury) Heffner, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: HEFFNER Carmella 1911-1978 Vernon 1905-1987 Vernon Hugo Heffner was born in Chattanooga on 13 August 1905 to Fredrick and Anna (Merkle) Heffner. He was baptized 3 September 1905 and his …

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Von Bierbach nach Chattanooga

Von Bierbach nach Chattanooga. That is the title of the newspaper story that appeared in last week’s edition of the Saarbrücker Zeitung, the “Saarbrücker Newspaper.” “From Bierbach to Chattanooga” And yes, the article refers to our Chattanooga, Ohio. It is the story of my immigrant ancestor after he settled in Mercer County, Ohio, in 1871. …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Roman E. Heffner

This is the tombstone of Roman Edward Heffner, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Roman E. Heffner 1899-1937 Roman Edward Heffner was born 26 August 1899 in the family home in Chattanooga, the son of Fredrick and Anna (Merkle) Heffner. He was baptized at that …

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Willshire Bearcats Basketball, 1955 & 1956

People in this area still remember and talk about Willshire’s basketball teams in the mid-50s. I am sure some of you remember those teams and those seasons very well. You may have even been there to participate and experience the excitement. Last week I wrote about the Willshire Bearcat basketball team’s successful 1939-40 season, which …

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