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 — 24 comments
  5. Metal Cemetery Monuments — 23 comments

Author's posts

Thank a Veteran Today

Today is Veterans Day, a day to honor and thank all US veterans. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, created to commemorate of the end of World War I. Fighting between the Allied Nations and Germany was ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. That date is generally …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Christian M. Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of Christian M. Schinnerer, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The gravestone is inscribed Christian M, son of F & E Schinnerer, gestorben [died] 19 Aug 1881, age 2 years, 2 months, 1 day. The image of a lamb is carved above his name. …

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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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