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. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 25 comments
  5. The Milligan Painting — 24 comments

Author's posts

Jun 29

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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Jun 26

Tombstone Tuesday–Romeo Brandt

This is the tombstone of Heinrich Romeo Brandt, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed ROMEO, Son of L. & M. Brant, Born Apr 10, 1876, Died Mar. 31, 1894, Aged 17 y. 11 m. 21 d. His tombstone is next to that of his parents. …

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Jun 22

Eliza C. J. Breuninger and Albert G. Ellis

Eliza Breuninger, my great-great-grandaunt, was the second wife of the well-known Green Bay, Wisconsin, pioneer Albert Gallatin Ellis. She was also the sister of my great-great-grandfather, Louis Breuninger (1819-1890). Had it not been for the letters and documents saved by my ancestor Louis Breuninger (which I refer to as “The Breuninger Collection”) I may never have discovered …

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Jun 19

Tombstone Tuesday–William Buechner

This is the tombstone of William Buechner, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed BUECHNER, William Buechner, 1859-1926. According to the church records at Zion Lutheran, Schumm, Johann Adam Wilhelm Büchner was born 12 January 1859 to Johannes Büchner and his legal wife. He was …

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Jun 15

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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