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 12

Tombstone Tuesday-Sphere

You may have seen a grave marker topped with sphere or ball. The 3-D circle represents eternity and the unending circle of life.

Jul 08

1951 Bible School, Zion Lutheran, Chatt

Here is a photo I ran across the other day, a 1951 Bible School photo from Zion Lutheran Church in Chatt.

Jul 05

Tombstone Tuesday-Emma German [?]

This tombstone is located in row 2 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker’s inscription can no longer be read. What do you do when a tombstone is so weathered that its inscription is no longer legible?

Jul 01

Happy July 4th, 2022!

July 4th weekend, 2022. This coming Monday we celebrate America’s Independence Day. It is a day to remember the principles of freedom and liberty upon which our country was founded and the many sacrifices that were made to ensure those freedoms.

Jun 28

Tombstone Tuesday-I H S Symbol

You have probably seen the letters I H S in a church, usually seen on the altar, church windows, vestments, and even on tombstones. These three letters are called a Christogram,