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 and genealogy research for over 35 years and am Credentialed as a Board-certified genealogist by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, 2003-2024, retired 2024. My main genealogical interests are family research, cemetery research, and historical and genealogical research of the Chatt area. I also 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 U.S. Daughters of 1812, First Families of Ohio, and First Families of Mercer and Van Wert Counties. I am a retired dental hygienist and our church organist for over 60 years. 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

Nov 04

Willshire Fires-1908, 1914, 1922

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the Willshire Canning Company. The Willshire Canning Company was started about 1904 and operated for roughly 10 years.

Nov 01

Tombstone Tuesday-Peter & Hannah M. (Schinnerer) Scare

This is the tombstone of Peter and Hannah (Schinnerer) Scare, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SCARE
Peter
1862-1946

Hannah M.
1868-1958

Oct 28

1910 Spiritualistic Manifestation in Geneva

For the Halloween season, below is an interesting piece about an eerie manifestation in the neighboring town of Geneva, Indiana, in 1910.

Oct 25

Tombstone Tuesday-Edward & Johannah (Meyer) Dirkson

This is the tombstone of Edward and Johannah (Meyer) Dirkson, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

DIRKSON
Edward
1864-1938
Psa. 90
Heb. 4, 9-11
Johannah
1873-1923
Psa. 25-10
Rev. 7, 9-17

Oct 21

The Willshire Canning Company

Willshire had a canning company in the early 1900s, appropriately named The Willshire Canning Company, and my great-grandfather Louis J. Schumm was a shareholder.