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.

LinkedIn
Amish Boy Shot & Killed By Sibling – At Least The 12th Accidental Amish Child Shooting Since 2010

Amish Boy Shot & Killed By Sibling – At Least The 12th Accidental Amish Child Shooting Since 2010

An 11-year-old Amish boy was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon by his sibling in the Adams County, Indiana community. Details are vague at this time, but sources are describing it as “accidental”, and I’d assume that to be the case. Images by wpta21.com (update: article has been removed at source) This is just one of numerous shootings involving Amish children and youth over the past…

Amish Plea For Help In Face Of Rendering Plant Stench (Updated)

Amish Plea For Help In Face Of Rendering Plant Stench (Updated)

Amish residents near Berlin, Ohio have been complaining about the odors emanating from a local rendering plant for some time. They’ve now been given an outlet to do so formally – and have taken advantage of it. An “odor hotline” has received around 450 complaint calls since being set up in July. The complaints are going against a local business called Holmes By Products, which…

Jet-Powered “Thunder Buggy” Reaches 60 MPH

Jet-Powered “Thunder Buggy” Reaches 60 MPH

It’s Friday, so how about something light. So, here are a couple of guys who took an Amish buggy and strapped a jet engine onto the back of it. Why not. The two men behind the rocket buggy live somewhere in Amish country and are apparently racing enthusiasts. One of the two bought a jet engine online by mistake (he thought it was “turbo shaft”,…

5 Amish Beliefs From Our Amish Values

5 Amish Beliefs From Our Amish Values

What do Amish believe on evolution? Do they wear jewelry? Why do they practice footwashing? When I was last in Holmes County, I picked up a neat little book by Lester Beachy, called Our Amish Values: Who We Are and What We Believe. Beachy has been a tour guide in the Holmes County Amish community, “something I have enjoyed very much”, as he tells in…

Amish & Social Media: Youth Now On Instagram; Women Using It For Business

Amish & Social Media: Youth Now On Instagram; Women Using It For Business

Lancaster Online recently published a series of articles on the Amish and social media use. Eight years ago this topic got attention when it was publicized in another Lancaster Online report that Amish youth were using Facebook. We also saw Facebook covered in books like Growing Up Amish: The Rumspringa Years. Yet time passes and things change, especially in the fast-moving world of social connectivity…

“Amish & Mormon”: 8 Things That Caught My Eye In The Latest Video

“Amish & Mormon”: 8 Things That Caught My Eye In The Latest Video

“I feel like one thing they learned, is they ‎could stay culturally Amish, and doctrinally be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” That is an LDS church member speaking about 3 Ohio Amish convert families – in a new video titled “Amish Latter-day Saints: Blending Two Worlds into One”. This appears to be an expanded version of the original, roughly…

Eat A Meal In An Amish Home (Holmes County, Ohio)

Eat A Meal In An Amish Home (Holmes County, Ohio)

Heading to the Amish community in Holmes County, and want to have a memorable meal? How about one served by an Amish family? I picked up this business card last time I was in the community: I haven’t tried this so can’t personally vouch, but it seems like a nice option if you’d like some good food in Amish surroundings. A quote from a customer…

More On The Amish & Hemp Farming

In a post last month, I wondered if recently-legalized industrial hemp would become a new Amish cash crop – perhaps replacing controversial tobacco, most often seen grown by farmers in the Lancaster County Amish community. Another article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has shed more light on Amish involvement in hemp cultivation, now essentially in its first year being legally raised like any other crop. Industrial…

The 10 Biggest Amish Communities

The 10 Biggest Amish Communities

Half of them are in Indiana. Two apiece in Pennsylvania and Ohio. And one in Illinois. The list of the top 10 largest Amish settlements doesn’t change much from year-to-year. These places generally have similar steady growth. And relatively few people leaving. Update 2024: We do have one change this year, however. Allen County, Indiana falls out of the #10 spot, replaced by another community…

10 Favorite Photos From My Last Visit To Lancaster County

10 Favorite Photos From My Last Visit To Lancaster County

I was going through some photos today from my June visit to Lancaster County. There are some nice odds and ends here I’d like to share with you. I don’t really have a theme for these, other than “photos I liked”. So without further ado… 1. Beware of Nuts This warning sign hangs by the lane going up to a home where I attended church…