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

Apr 06

Tombstone Tuesday-Column Symbols

Stately-looking columns are sometimes used to frame the ends of a tombstone. Unbroken columns symbolize a noble life or that life has been completed.

Apr 02

Good Friday 2021

Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us.
The cross is the Christian symbol of salvation, used often on tombstones, years ago as well as today. Here are a few different variations of crosses I have seen on tombstones.

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.