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

It’s Family Reunion Time

It is the middle of summer and time for family reunions. Both sides of my family have family gatherings that we regularly attend. Although both reunions focus on relatives gathering together (and good food), there are differences between the Miller and Schumm reunions. The Miller reunion is held every year on the fourth Sunday in July, …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Lewis and Margaretha Brandt

This is the tombstone of Lewis and Margaretha Brandt, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: BRANDT, Lewis Brandt, Born Nov 30, 1839, Died Jan 31, 1905, aged 65 y, 2 m; Margaretha Haffner, Born  Dec 9. 1846, Married to Lewis Brandt Jun 10, 1866, Died …

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Brain Freeze

It hits you right between the eyes, smack in the middle of your forehead. At our house we call it brain freeze. I am not referring to the inability to think clearly or about having a senior moment. I am talking about the dreaded ice cream headache. This malady even has a scientific name, sphenopalatine …

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Tombstone Tuesday–John and Anna C. Brandt

This is the tombstone of John and Anna C. Brandt, located in row 8 of Duck Creek Cemetery, Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed [south side]: John Brandt Died Mar. 12, 1868, Aged  57 ys, 9 mo, 13 ds. [north side]: Anna C., Wife of John Brandt Died Apr. 22, 1878, Aged …

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Theodore C. Ellis, Son of Albert G. & Eliza (Breuninger) Ellis

Sadly, one of the all too common realities of family life in the 19th century was dealing with the illness and impending death of a family member. Too often that family member was a child or sibling. The letter that follows gives us a glimpse of the feelings of the family at such a time–the worry, …

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