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

Rev. August Affeld, Pastor at Zion Chatt 1896-1899

I recently received an e-mail from Danielle, who was seeking information about her great-grandfather, Rev. August Affeld. He was a Lutheran minister who served at Zion Chatt from late 1896-1899. She contacted me after she saw his picture in a 1897 confirmation photo that I posted here a few weeks ago. That photo is the …

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Tombstone Tuesday–John and Anna Maria Becher

This is the tombstone of John and Anna Maria Becher, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The maker is inscribed: Anna Maria Apr. 8, 1837 Dec. 26, 1917 John Becher May 20, 1833 July 25, 1883 BECHER According to the old Family Register of Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Johannes …

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Emily (Bryan) Reid and Her Daughters

This is a photo of my great-great-grandmother Emily (Bryan) Reid Bisel and her six daughters. My great-grandmother Pearl (Reid) Brewster is seated at the far left. The original photo belonged to my great-aunt Dorothy (Brewster) Weaver, sister of my grandmother Gertrude (Brewster) Miller. Both were daughters of Pearl (Reid) Brewster. I visited Dorothy in 1999 …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Clarence Becher

This is the tombstone of Clarence Becher, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: 1897-1972 CLARENCE BECHER Clarence is buried immediately to the south of his brother Odis “Hod” Becher. Both markers are in the same row and on the same cement slab. According to the …

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My Favorite Mobile Apps

This Sunday, 3 March 2013, I will be speaking in Celina at the meeting of The Mercer County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Their chapter was established in 1980 and they are an active group with a nice list of Mercer County-related publications for sale. I will be presenting Tech Tools for Genealogists. This …

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