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

Jul 29

Earliest Censuses for Mercer County & Willshire Township

In February 1820 the Ohio government authorized the establishment of Mercer County and Van Wert County. Mercer County was organized in 1824 and Van Wert County was organized in 1837. Who were some of the earliest settlers in this area?

Jul 26

Tombstone Tuesday-Knights of the Maccabees

In addition to the various symbols and artwork engraved on tombstones, fraternal organization symbols are also often seen on grave markers.

Jul 22

Gallman Road Bridge

I am old enough to remember some of the old iron truss bridges that crossed many rivers and creeks in the area years ago. Most, if not all of them, are gone now. We took them for granted back then but take notice if we see one today.

Jul 19

Tombstone Tuesday-Georg J Brenner

This is the tombstone of Georg J. Brenner, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Georg J. Brenner
Geboren
Oct. 11, 1797
Gestorben
Feb. 23, 1879
[Alter 82 Y, 4 M, 12 D]

Jul 15

More Local News Items from 1917 (part 4)

I continue with some more news clippings from The Celina Democrat, a newspaper published from 1895-1921. A few of those years are available on the Library of Congress.com website. Here is more local news from 1917.