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

Tombstone Tuesday—Louis J. & Sarah H. (Breuninger) Schumm

This is the tombstone photo of Louis J. Schumm and his wife Sarah, nee Breuninger.  They are buried in row 10 of Zion Cemetery,  Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. Louis’ home was the subject of the previous post. The marker is inscribed: Louis J. 1851-1938 Sarah H. His Wife 1861-1921 SCHUMM Ludwig …

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The House on Evergreen Farm

This frame house was the home of three generations of my Schumm ancestors. It is located between Willshire and Schumm in Van Wert County, Ohio. Grandpa always said that the house was originally back in the woods and was moved to its current location. Both the 1872 and 1886 maps of Van Wert County show …

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It’s OGS Conference Time

It’s about time–time for the Ohio Genealogical Society’s annual conference. That means that I need to send in my conference registration, and soon. The early registration deadline is quickly approaching (14 March). The conference will be held 31 March-2 April 2011 in Columbus, Ohio, and the theme is “Genealogy through the Centuries.” This year I …

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Unusual Names—We’ve Got ‘Em

Look carefully at this tombstone photo. I’m sure you noticed right away that two names are misspelled. Pankratius Schinnerer is such a common name! Who could possibly misspell it? Yes, some of my ancestors have very unusual names. Most of these uncommon names are in my German lines and are collateral ancestors, not my direct …

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AKA William Wilbur

I have spent a lot of time working with lineage applications. I have successfully completed quite a few for myself and for others. I was chair of the Ohio Genealogical Society’s First Families of Ohio for 5 years and during that time I reviewed nearly 100 applications each year. I am the Registrar for the …

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