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

Merry Christmas from Karen’s Chatt!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! I hope you enjoy these nostalgic Christmas postcards.      

Tombstone Tuesday–Herbert Heffner

This is the tombstone of Herbert Heffner, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Feb. 26, 1894 Aug. 13, 1908 HERBERT HEFFNER Walter Herbert Heffner was born in the family home in Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 26 February 1894 to Fredrick and Anna …

Continue reading

Christmas Memories–Toys

What was under the Christmas tree for a good little girl back in the 1950s? I believe I can answer that. I still have some of my old toys that I received as Christmas presents over 55 years ago. Yesterday I gathered them together and arranged them around the Christmas trees in our basement. The …

Continue reading

Tombstone Tuesday–Fred & Anna (Merkle) Heffner

This is the tombstone of Fred and Anna (Merkle) Heffner, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: HEFFNER Fred Heffner 1861-1918 Anna His Wife 1867-1935 Fredrick Heffner was born in Liberty Township on 19 February 1861, according to Zion Chatt’s records. He was the son of …

Continue reading

Christmas Memories–The Sunday School Christmas Program

The children’s Christmas program is an annual event at our church. It is a time of pride for both parents and grandparents as they get to see their little ones dressed in their Christmas finery, nervously saying their “pieces” and singing in front of the congregation. When I was a child our Christmas pageants were …

Continue reading