Author: Erik Wesner

Erik Wesner is the creator of amishamerica.com, and author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive. Erik began visiting Amish communities in 2004 – eventually meeting thousands of Amish families while selling books.

He began writing about the Amish on this website in 2006, and is often cited in national media, including USA Today, The New York Times, and others on a wide range of Amish topics. A native of North Carolina, Erik has visited dozens of Amish communities across the country, and loves spending time with Amish friends and discovering new Amish places.

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Linda Stoltzfoos’ 19th Birthday Passes; 5 Months Since Disappearance

Linda Stoltzfoos’ 19th Birthday Passes; 5 Months Since Disappearance

Linda Stoltzfoos‘ 19th birthday was last week. It’s now been 5 months since she disappeared. Lancaster Online shares a brief update. Unfortunately there are few positive details in it, other than the fact the investigation is ongoing. However, I think that is good to keep in mind: Saturday marks five months since Linda Stoltzfoos disappeared — kidnapped, according to authorities, while walking home from church…

Plain Amish Home For Sale: 41 Acres + Pond (13 Photos)

Plain Amish Home For Sale: 41 Acres + Pond (13 Photos)

Here’s the third Amish home in a row that happens to be up for sale. So if you’re in the market for a plain Amish home, here’s your chance 🙂 Well, of course location matters at least a bit. So where is this place? The home is located in Angelica, New York (Allegany County) in the western end of the state, around 90 minutes’ drive…

Elizabeth Byler Younts: Why Readers Love The Amish

Elizabeth Byler Younts: Why Readers Love The Amish

“People especially now want to get away…they want something that will draw them away from the complicated life, and the uncertainty.” Elizabeth Byler Younts is an author of Amish-themed fiction who spent part of her childhood in an Amish family. She digs into the question of why readers love Amish fiction in a podcast from the Anselm Society. Elizabeth has some good insights and I…

Which Community Should You Visit? 7 Differences Between Lancaster County & Holmes County

Which Community Should You Visit? 7 Differences Between Lancaster County & Holmes County

Molly asks a good question on the recent Lancaster farm stay post: Erik, would you tell us the differences between Lancaster County & Holmes County? We have visited Holmes County, but would like to know the differences. As the two largest and most-visited Amish communities, people do often wonder which one of Holmes County and Lancaster County is best to visit – and how they…

“What’s Amish Zoom?” Amishman Chester Kurtz On COVID (Video)

“What’s Amish Zoom?” Amishman Chester Kurtz On COVID (Video)

WKYC’s 88 Counties in 88 Days series stopped in Geauga County following an earlier visit to Holmes County. They spoke with Chester Kurtz, an Amishman associated with the Geauga Amish Historical Library, on how his community is handling the pandemic. I find Kurtz an exceptional spokesman for his people, which you can judge in the video below. Chester Kurtz. Images: WKYC This video was actually posted…

Who Was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ Wife? (Excerpt & 2 Stoltzfus Family Book Winners)

Who Was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ Wife? (Excerpt & 2 Stoltzfus Family Book Winners)

We’ve got two winners today of German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story by Nic Stoltzfus (if you missed the interview with Nic, find it here). But first, an excerpt from the book. This is a section on the question of who was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ wife. She was at least partially known, but her identity had not been precisely identified. Nic and the…

17-Year-Old Dies In New York Buggy Crash

17-Year-Old Dies In New York Buggy Crash

Via Syracuse.com: Georgetown, N.Y. — An Amish teenager died Tuesday after his buggy was hit by an SUV in Madison County. Rudy M. Hershberger, of Earlville, was pronounced dead at Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton hospital shortly after the crash, the New York State Police said. He was 17 years old. The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. on state Route 26 in Georgetown. Hershberger was…

Four Months Later, Driver Charged In Serious Hit & Run Buggy Crash

Four Months Later, Driver Charged In Serious Hit & Run Buggy Crash

It’s looking like good work by authorities in northwest Pennsylvania. Back in July, a young Amish couple and their two children – a 1-year-old and an infant – were rear-ended in Crawford County. The driver was charged yesterday for the hit-and-run crash: TITUSVILLE — A Spartansburg woman has been charged for a Sparta Township hit-and-run crash with a horse-drawn Amish buggy that seriously injured a…

Lancaster County Amish Farm Stays (2020)

Lancaster County Amish Farm Stays (2020)

Is it possible to stay on an Amish farm in 2020? Hat tip to Linda, who sends along this National Geographic article on the current state of Amish farm stays in Lancaster County. You might not have known that it’s possible to stay on an Amish farm in some places – but it is. A number of Amish households run this type of lodging business….