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

This & That from The Willshire Herald

One of my favorite pastimes is looking through old issues of The Willshire Herald on microfilm at the Van Wert County Library. Below are some interesting articles that I recently found. Sustains Injured Hand John Scaer, farmer residing on route 2, Willshire, had the misfortune of cutting four fingers and the thumb off the left …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Philipp & Margetha Emrich

This is the tombstone of Philipp and Margetha Emrich, located row 8 of Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed Emrich on the front. On the south side: Hier ruhet in ? Philipp Emrich Geb. Den 26, Aug 1821 Gest. Den 4, Dez. 1891 Alter 70 J, 3 M, 8 T On the …

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Saying Goodbye to Kate

Last week the Schumm family sadly said goodbye to one of their own. Anna Katherine “Kate” (Schumm) Bischoff passed away on 12 November 2014 in Arizona, at the age of 97. Kate was born near Rockford on 19 March 1917 to Philip Frederick Martin and Leona Barbara (Schumm) Schumm. She had three sisters–Marie, Emma and …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Catherina P. Emrich

This is the tombstone of Catherina P. Emrich, located in row 8 of Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Hier ruhet Catherina P. Tochter von P. u. P. Emrich Gest. 18 Juli 1890 Alter 7 mo. U. 17 tag. Here rests Catherina P, daughter of P. and P. Emrich, died 18 July …

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Tragedy in the Oil Fields

Like a few other young farm men from the Midwest, two of my great-uncles went out west to work in the oil fields in the early 1900s. There was an oil boom in the western states at that time and young men were seeking adventure and a way to make their fortune. Jobs were plentiful …

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