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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2020 Nationwide Amish Settlement List

2020 Nationwide Amish Settlement List

Where do the Amish live? A new resource has been published listing the locations of nearly 600 Amish settlements across North America. You can access the list at the Young Center’s Amish Studies website. This list actually includes two nations – the US, and Canada with its much smaller Amish population. Organized by state and province, it provides some basic useful information for each settlement:…

Amish Brothers Violate Probation, Sentenced To 15 Years Prison In Abuse Case

This is a follow-up to the Missouri abuse case story widely covered last month. From KY3: MARSHFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A Webster County judge Thursday sent two Amish brothers for prison for violating terms of their probation. Petie and Aaron Schartz of Seymour, Mo. will spend 15 years in prison for their sexual abuse convictions. The judge had previously sentenced the brothers to five years…

What Makes A Good Amish Store?

What Makes A Good Amish Store?

I just happened to be looking at reviews for Mishler’s Country Store, in Dalton, Wisconsin. People seem to really love that place – both readers here, and at review sites like Yelp and Google. It got me wondering – what makes a good Amish store? Here are some of my own criteria, yours might differ: Selection – a big selection of course is nice Amish…

Police Seek Man Who Attempted To Lure Amish Children Into Car (New York)

Police Seek Man Who Attempted To Lure Amish Children Into Car (New York)

Via WHAM: (WHAM) – New York State Police are asking for help to find a man suspected of trying to lure children off of an Amish buggy in Seneca County. Investigators said they were contacted after a man driving down Dublin Road in Junius approached a buggy that was carrying several children. The man reportedly tried to lure the children into his car by offering…

Amish Driver Help Wanted Ad – Is It Worth It?

Amish Driver Help Wanted Ad – Is It Worth It?

How much can you make driving the Amish? The answer is going to vary based on a number of factors including location, whether or not you’re providing the vehicle, and so on. This ad posted to Craigslist (removed) gives us an idea of what you can expect in one sort of arrangement working as a driver for the Amish. Details are limited, but we get…

Amazing: State Trooper Saves Amish Toddler in Runaway Buggy

Amazing: State Trooper Saves Amish Toddler in Runaway Buggy

A little Amish girl is safe thanks to the quick response of a Pennsylvania state trooper. Via WTAE: MARIENVILLE, Pa. — A state police officer jumped into action to save a toddler in a runaway buggy. A 3-year-old Amish girl was alone in a buggy in Marienville, Forest County when the horse was spooked. The horse took off at full gallop and the buggy almost…

Should Amish Buggies Have A Yearly Safety Inspection?

An interesting letter just appeared at Lancaster Online. An excerpt: I have an idea for the state to make a chunk of change. Why not make the Amish register each of their buggies and have a yearly inspection and safety check, just like those of us with motor vehicles are required to do? I believe the buggies ruin our roads. When I asked a state…

Lancaster Amish Family Evening Singing At Home (Video)

Lancaster Amish Family Evening Singing At Home (Video)

I like this video (see bottom of post) not so much for the song itself, but for the feel of sitting around in an Amish home in the evening. You’ve got the soft glow of the propane light, the water pitcher at the ready, the utilitarian folding chairs. Dinner’s been eaten, and everyone’s circled around in the kitchen. The video description is “Understand by and…

A Visit With “Amish Woman”

A Visit With “Amish Woman”

Meet “Amish Woman“. She’s a mom of 12 and a recent settler in a young Missouri community. A reporter with a local paper spoke with her and managed to learn a good bit about her life and church. She actually shares a lot more detail than I’d expect from this sort of “our new neighbors the Amish” report. Not the actual “Amish Woman” Amish people…

Three Hundred And Ten Descendants

Three Hundred And Ten Descendants

This obituary tells of an Amishman named Jonas A. Nisley who passed away late last month in Ohio. Jonas had 310 living descendants. If you add his step-descendants, you get an additional 70 individuals, for a total of 380 souls. Here’s the tally of his family, in addition to his twelve children: 96 grandchildren; 11 step-grandchildren; 201 great-grandchildren; 57 step-great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and two step-great-great-grandchildren….