Comments on: The Hicksville, Ohio Amish community

By: SharonR

SharonR — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:29:14 +0000

Another good write-up, Erik. Enjoyed it!!
SharonR

By: Erik/Amish America

Erik/Amish America — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:22:56 +0000

And only temporarily.

By: Erik/Amish America

Erik/Amish America — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:21:42 +0000

Wanda good question, with a lot of these smaller one-district Amish settlements the young people almost have to visit and learn to know young folks in other communities. First cousin marriages have happened but not encouraged. However it’s not unusual for a married couple to be more distantly related. And moving away when you get married is a reality.

Even if you marry someone in the same community, if it’s a large settlement it can still mean not seeing your biological family so much anymore. For instance the wife of a friend in Lancaster is from about 15 miles away, which you can imagine cuts down on visits–it’s a long buggy ride or an expensive Amish taxi. It can theoretically be a lot further than that even within one community in places like Lancaster and Holmes County OH.

By: Erik/Amish America

Erik/Amish America — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:14:15 +0000

Thanks Lee Ann, the young folk have both Indiana and Ohio communities within range. I would love to go out to Colorado to see what’s happening out there. Kind of a long drive compared to my usual trips though

On the southern stuff, I guess I’m a good sport because I can always fall back on “hey, my family’s Polish, I have nothing to do with chewing tobacco or NASCAR”. Kind of a cheap bail-out, I know

By: Erik/Amish America

Erik/Amish America — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:10:30 +0000

Wow Jason! She was really a lovely person and got a good joke or two in before I left. Hicksville seems like a nice place to live.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:28:28 +0000

I gets weirder. The woman you spoke with bought my in-laws home when they retired. The store is constructed in the field where we had our ceremony. Small, small world.

By: Lee Ann

Lee Ann — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:07:29 +0000

I really enjoy the post. I agree with Nance, that the post are something wonderful to look for in my email each day.

I would assume the young people must travel far in order to find others to date and marry.

Keep up the wonderful post Erik! What a joy to open my mail and learn more each day about the Amish. I do hope you one day visit the Amish in CO. I would love to hear about their community.

The humor here is so fun to read as well. Your a good sport Erik to let others tease you on the southern redneck stuff.

By: Wanda

Wanda — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:48:25 +0000

Erik… I was just wondering, if the church district is only one, then how do the young people meet their future intended? Wouldn’t they eventually all be related in some sort if they only marry within their district? Or are they (towns)close enough to another district up there. But either way, one of the 2 would have to move to another district, or am I missing something?

By: Wm Justice

Wm Justice — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:30:59 +0000

I agree with you Alice, Richard is too funny. And this from a real live redneck in Mississippi.
BTW Richard, Florida is not a southern state to true southerners regardless of the hurricane shooting moonshiners. They were likely New Yorkers who just moved to Florida. A true southerner knows you can’t kill a hurricane with a shotgun, you can only scare them off with a broom.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:09:32 +0000

My wife grew up on Gingrich Rd. in Hicksville. We got married at her parents’ home there. Kind of weird to see this come across my news feed today.