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

Wedding Photo Revisted-Mystery Solved!

This past week I received some very good information which answered a question I asked in a blog post several years ago. The blog post, “A Wedding Celebration,” July 2015, featured a picture postcard which showed an outdoor wedding dinner. The name Wambsganss was written on the photo and it appears the photo was taken about 1920. Those were the only clues I had and I wondered whose wedding it was.

Tombstone Tuesday-Grapevine Symbol

A grapevine, as a tombstone symbol, signifies prosperity, fertility, and abundance. The grapevine is a traditional Christian symbol, as Jesus said he is the vine and his followers are the branches.

Duckcreek/Willshire Church Member List 1909

Today, the final Duckcreek Church membership list that I have, a list of the members received in February 1909.

Tombstone Tuesday-Robert Ivan Handwerk

This is the tombstone of Robert Ivan Handwerk, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Duckcreek Baptisms, 1874-1882

Continuing on with the Duckcreek Church records that I have, that also include information for a couple other Methodist churches in the area.