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

The Müllers–Generations of Shepherds

Several years ago, when I first began to research my Müller ancestors, I just assumed that it would be a rather simple process to trace my German lineage. After all, I knew that one all-important fact, the name of my immigrant ancestor’s home town. Any researcher will tell you that you can’t research across the …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Wilhelmine M. Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Wilhelmine M. Schinnerer, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The gravestone is inscribed Wilhelmine, daughter of F & E Schinnerer, gestorben [died] 5 August 1881, aged 5 months, 12 days. According to the church records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Wilhelmine Margaretha Schinnerer …

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Recollections of Chattanooga, Ohio, Part 2

The following is the continuation of a narrative written by Rev. Reuben Valentine Smith in 1955. It is his personal account of his experiences as a pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, from 1899-1905. A Busy Preacher I was a very busy person. I had the school on my hands. I preached a German sermon every Sunday morning …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Friedrich P.M. Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Friedrich P. M. Schinnerer, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. All that is readable on the gravestone is Friedrich P M, son of Friedrich & Margaretha. This tombstone is broken, weathered, and basically unreadable. I relied in part on the Van Wert County, …

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Recollections of Chattanooga, Ohio

The following narrative was written by Rev. Reuben Valentine Smith in 1955. It is his personal account of his experiences as a pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, from 1899-1905. How I Came to Chattanooga It is my belief that Providence directs our lives and that God rules His Church, although the human factors by which His Will …

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