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

Tombstone Tuesday–Jacob W. & Rosa D. Duff

This is the tombstone of Jacob W. and Rosa D. Duff, located in Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Duff Rosa D. Dec. 27, 1886 Apr. 2, 1965 Jacob W. Feb. 13, 1882 Mar. 2, 1948 If you look closely at this tombstone you will notice that a barber pole …

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A Collection of Ball Caps

Men folk of all ages in these parts like to wear ball caps. Nearly every male I know wears a ball cap from time to time, if not most of the time. Joe, Jeff, farmers, laborers, males young and old wear ball caps. My dad always wore a ball cap and my grandpa Miller wore …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Edward Rudolph & Almeda (Heffner) Kessler

This week’s Tombstone Tuesday photo looks a little different. Different because the subjects of this week’s post have no tombstone. I have been writing about the Kessler family that settled near Chattanooga, Ohio, in the mid-1800s and the trail has led me to this Kessler couple who has no tombstone. But sources indicate that they …

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First Auto Made and Crashed in Ohio City

Last Monday’s episode of the new PBS series Genealogy Roadshow featured a short clip with audience member Jennifer Weed and professional genealogist Josh Taylor. Weed’s great-grandfather John William Lambert made the first gasoline-powered automobile in the U.S. and she wanted to know if he had had a feud with Henry Ford. Josh Taylor confirmed that …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Daughter of E & A Kessler

This is the tombstone of the infant daughter of E. & A. Kessler, located in Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Infant Dau of E. & A. Kessler Died Sept. 19, 1905 There is no record of this baby girl’s birth or death in the records of Zion Lutheran Chatt. …

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