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

Anticipating the 1940 Census

Something BIG will happen Monday. Something genealogists all across the country have been eagerly awaiting for 10 years. At 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, April 2nd, nearly every genealogist in America will be on the Internet to view the 1940 US Federal Census for the first time. The digitized 1940 Census will be released by the National …

Continue reading

Tombstone Tuesday–J Howard & Caroline Caffee

This is the tombstone of Howard and Caroline (Miller) Caffee, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed, CAFFEE, Caroline, 1893-1988; J. Howard, 1892-1954, Galatians, 2:20. Howard Caffee obituary: Death Claims J. Howard Caffee, Widely Known Nearby Dairy Farmer J. Howard Caffee of southwest of Willshire died …

Continue reading

V-mail from Germany to Willshire, 1945

I am a Charter Member and supporter of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. They recently sent me information about one of their programs, Operation Footlocker. Operation Footlocker gives school children across the country the opportunity to see and touch real World War II artifacts, while adding to their WWII education. Each footlocker …

Continue reading

Tombstone Tuesday–Florence Marie Schumm

This is the tombstone of Florence Marie Schumm, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The tombstone is inscribed: Florence Marie, Toch Von V.A. und B.W. Schumm, Gest. Den 10 Okt. 1913, Alter 2 M. 10 T. Translated: Florence Marie, daughter of V.A. and B.W. Schumm, died on 10 …

Continue reading

Brewster Brothers in the Civil War

Last week I shared a newspaper article and a photo of the first Brewster Reunion, held in Adams County, Indiana, in 1913. Among those in attendance were two Civil War veterans. Brothers James Henry and Daniel M. Brewster served in Company E of the 80th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry [OVI]. According to James Henry Brewster’s …

Continue reading