Diversity among the Amish

The Swartzentruber Amish are among the most tradition-minded Old Order peoples The Swartzentruber Amish affiliation came about in Ohio in 1917.  Today Swartzentruber Amish are considered among the “lowest” of Amish affiliations. Swartzentruber communities can be found in over a dozen states, though their population is highest in Holmes County, Ohio, where they live side-by-side [...]

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Yesterday’s interview with Karen Johnson-Weiner on New York Amish examined, among other things, how diverse Amish groups have adapted to life in the state.  One of the groups Karen discusses in depth in her book is the Andy Weaver Amish. The Andy Weaver Amish are an affiliation which came about in the 1950s in Holmes [...]

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The New Order Amish in Amish society What distinguishes New Order Amish from Old Order Amish? New Order Amish make up only a small percentage of the total Amish population–roughly 3%. New Order Amish live in a number of states, with the largest group found in the Holmes County, Ohio settlement (around 18 church districts, [...]

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I’ve been looking forward to this new addition to Amish America for a long time.  Various questions seem to recur on Amish topics.  I thought it might be nice to put together a resource to try to answer some of those questions. The Amish Online Encyclopedia (AOE) covers a variety of subjects including Amish culture, [...]

Continue reading New to Amish America: The Amish Online Encyclopedia

I recently read a book I’d been looking forward to for a long time.  An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community is an in-depth look at the Amish settlement at Holmes County, Ohio, and one of the most interesting books on the Amish I have read. In Ohio last month [...]

Continue reading An interview with “An Amish Paradox” authors Charles Hurst and David McConnell

At a talk I gave in Holmes County, at one point one of the Amish entrepreneurs on the 5-man panel expressed concerns over technology.  Paraphrasing, he spoke of worries over “kids having the PSP and the Game Boy and half of the boys having cars”.   Having been to a few Amish homes, I can say [...]

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Perhaps no aspect of Amish society has received as much popular attention as the idea of “Rumspringa“.  Various media including books, TV and documentary film have addressed the youth period, also know as a time of “running around”.  Amishman Aaron Miller, who in the last installment discussed the Ordnung, addresses misconceptions and realities of Rumspringa: [...]

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An Amish friend, whom we’ll call “Aaron Miller”, recently discussed aspects of Amish society with a college class. Aaron later wrote a follow-up letter to the class, in which he addressed a few issues raised during the discussion.  Aaron has kindly shared the letter, from which we’ll post a few excerpts on the blog.  You [...]

Continue reading “Aaron Miller” on the beard, cell phone, and Ordnung

It’s nearly 15 years old, but this New York Times article (http://www.cora.org/amish-skate-art.html) remains an interesting look at a “modern” form of transportation used by Amish (and which some may find surprising). In-line skates, aka “rollerblades”, are popular in the Lancaster County settlement.  Amish historian Sam Stoltzfus estimates that (at the time of writing) they may be [...]

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The ten largest Amish settlements, by number of church districts, as of 2009: 10. Allen County, Indiana (Founded 1852; 19 church districts).  This Amish settlement located to the north of Fort Wayne is a Swiss-ethnicity community.  Open buggies are driven here;  the construction trade is popular.  Allen County Amish homes are often built of red [...]

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