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 30

Tombstone Tuesday-Elizabeth (Tague) King Hardzog

This is the tombstone of Elizabeth (Tague) Hardzog, located in Ridge/Slater Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Elizabeth
Hardzog
Died
Nov. 4, 1878
Aged
65 Y, 5 M, 7 D

Mar 26

Enumerated Twice in Mercer County in 1850

I use census records a lot and really like looking through the old census records on-line. While reading through the 1850 census of Black Creek Township, I noticed something very interesting. A family was enumerated twice in Mercer County, Ohio.

Mar 23

Tombstone Tuesday-Finger Pointing Down Symbol

I recently posted some tombstone art photos of a finger pointing upward, symbolizing the hope of heaven or that the soul has gone to heaven. This is a symbol commonly seen in older cemeteries.

Here is another example of a pointing finger, only this finger is pointing downward.

Mar 19

Black Creek Schools in 1853

I had intended to move on from the old Black Creek Township schools but I stumbled across some additional information while working on another project. I work on several research projects at any given time, which is sort of like reading several books at a time.

Mar 16

Tombstone Tuesday-Saloma Hardzog

This is the tombstone of Soloma Hardzog, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:
Saloma
Wife of George
Hardzog Was
Born Dec 25’
1777 & Died
July 23’ 1844
Aged 76 years
7 ms & 29 d