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

Oct 25

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, …

Continue reading

Oct 21

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 …

Continue reading

Oct 18

Tombstone Tuesday–M. Margaretha Schinnerer

This is the tombstone of M. Margaretha Schinnerer, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The gravestone is inscribed: M Margaretha, daughter of Friedrich and Maria Schinnerer, died 27 September 1861, age 5 years, 11 months, 18 days. This tombstone is weathered and very difficult to read. I relied …

Continue reading

Oct 14

Bierbach–Jacob Müller’s Hometown

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the immigration of my great-grandfather Jacob Müller/Miller. He was born and lived in Bierbach, Kingdom of Bavaria (now Germany). What was the little village of Bierbach like during the time Jacob lived there? Bierbach was part of the Bavarian Pfalz, also called the Palatinate. It is located in …

Continue reading

Oct 11

Tombstone Tuesday–Anna Rosina Geisler

This is the tombstone of Anna Rosina Geisler, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The gravestone is inscribed: Hier ruht in Gott Anna Rosina, ehefrau von Georg Geisler, Geb. den 18 Feb. 1829, Gest. den 25 Nov. 1899. Alter 70 Jahr, 9 Mo, 7 Ta. When translated the …

Continue reading