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 11

Willshire’s Straubinger Hotel

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Headington House Hotels, once located in Portland, Indiana, and Celina, Ohio. Soon after I was asked about the hotel that was in Willshire years ago. I remember that old hotel building. Our Willshire School sixth grade class took a field trip there and our class was photographed outside the building.

Mar 08

Tombstone Tuesday-Micheal Huber

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

Michael
Huber
Died
Mar. 29, 1877
Aged 60 Y, 9 M, 29 D

Mar 04

Photos of Jess Burgess Brewster Family

Today, a few more photos from the James Henry Brewster branch of the family. James Henry Brewster moved his family to Independence, Kansas, about 1884, where he was a successful building contractor.

Mar 01

Tombstone Tuesday-Animal Tombstone Art

Occasionally you will see an animal that is part of a tombstone. I’m not talking abut live animals, like squirrels, which I often see scurrying around in cemeteries.

Feb 25

Headington House Hotel x 3

Last week I wrote about the two local Headington House Hotels, one in Portland, Indiana, in the 1870s, the other in Celina, Ohio, in the mid-1900s. Surprise! As I continued my research I learned about yet another Headington House Hotel in Portland in the early 1900s.