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

Mar 29

Tombstone Tuesday-Candle Tombstone Symbol

A candle with a flame, as tombstone art, symbolizes life, eternal life, and light. A burning candle brings light to darkness.

Mar 25

Willshire, Reported Disabilities in the 1880 Census

Recently I have been scouring the censuses for information about the inhabitants of the village of Willshire during the last half of the 1800s. Willshire is of particular interest this year because they are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the town by Captain James Riley. Their Bicentennial. As I was going through the 1880 census of Willshire Township I noticed something that I had missed before. Totally missed.

Mar 22

Tombstone Tuesday-Christena Magdalena (Ehret) Huber

This is the tombstone of Christena Magdalena (Ehret) Huber, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Christena
Huber
Died
July 4, 1880
Aged 66 Y, 10 M, 2 D

Mar 18

Willshire Hotel Information in the 1850-1880 Censuses

After writing about Willshire’s hotels last week I wanted to see what I could learn about the town’s hotels and their proprietors in the census records. I was primarily looking for information about the best-known Willshire hotel, the one most of us remember as the Straubinger Hotel, built in 1850 by Dr. John W. Pearce and razed in 1964.

Mar 15

Tombstone Tuesday-Rock of Ages Symbol

The Rock of Ages tombstone art inscription is usually depicted as a woman clinging to a cross, symbolizing faith. She is in a turbulent sea of waves and is clinging to the cross to be saved.