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 and genealogy research for over 35 years and am Credentialed as a Board-certified genealogist by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, 2003-2024, retired 2024. My main genealogical interests are family research, cemetery research, and historical and genealogical research of the Chatt area. I also 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 U.S. Daughters of 1812, First Families of Ohio, and First Families of Mercer and Van Wert Counties. I am a retired dental hygienist and our church organist for over 60 years. 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

Nov 02

Tombstone Tuesday-John Martin Schumm

This is the tombstone of John Martin Schumm, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Father
JOHN MARTIN SCHUMM
Aug. 18, 1873
Apr. 28, 1954

Oct 29

More Halloween Hauntings

Halloween is just a few days away.
A few years ago I wrote a blog post, Haunted Mercer County, which turned out to be a fairly popular post. People still write me about it.

Oct 26

Tombstone Tuesday-Halloween Edition

Halloween is less than a week away and there is no better time to highlight some tombstone art that conjures up Halloween images.

Oct 22

Digging a Pond, 1974

Across the road from Zion Lutheran Church in Schumm is a nice home and farm buildings, owned by Ned Alspaugh in the 1970s and beyond. West of the barn is a pond, dug in 1974. My mom and dad took these photos of Alvin Krueckeberg excavating and digging Ned Alspaugh’s pond in 1974.

Oct 19

Tombstone Tuesday-Johann Martin Geier

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

Johann
Martin
Geier
Geb. Den 25
Sept. 1816
Gest den 22
Dec. 1902
Alter
86 J, 2 M, 27 T