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

1940 Census Indexing Update

Thousands of volunteers for the 1940 US Census Community Project continue to index at a phenomenal rate. Overall, the indexing is 63% complete and FamilySearch.org reports that indexing is one month ahead of schedule. Over 75 million records have been indexed and 20 states are 100% indexed and searchable on FamilySearch.org. States that are searchable …

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Tombstone Tuesday—Jeanetta, Charles and Amalia Schumm

This is the tombstone of Jeanetta A., Charles J. and Amalia  C. Schumm, located in row 3, old section J, Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Dublin Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed SCHUMM, Jeanetta A, 1875-1916, Charles J, 1875-1954, Amalia C, 1884-1969. Jeanetta was Charles’ first wife and he married Amalia after Jeanetta’s death. According …

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Albert G. Ellis–The Breuninger Connection

Who was Albert Gallatin Ellis and how does he fit into our family? Albert Gallatin Ellis is one of the best known American pioneers of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the upper Wisconsin River valley. He was born in Verona, New York, in 1800, the son of Eleazer Ellis. During his lifetime he was a teacher, …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Mary Breuninger Stamm Koehler

This is the tombstone of Mary (Breuninger) Stamm Koehler, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: KOEHLER, Mary A. Stamm, 1858-1930. Mary was the third child of my great-great-grandparents Louis and Maria (Seckel) Breuninger. According to Mary Koehler’s death certificate she was born 10 October …

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The Porch Swing

Ah, the good ol’ summertime. For me, summertime brings back childhood memories of long summer days spent at the Miller farm. I still remember that feeling of freedom when school was out and the whole summer was ahead of me. I spent nearly every summer on the farm with my Miller grandparents. I stayed with …

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