Continuing our series on regional Amish populations (if you missed them, read more on Amish in the South and West), today we look at the Northeast. In this region of nine states, we find two of the most significant “Amish states” – and two with quite small, but growing, populations. Is the Northeast, in general, an attractive area for the Amish to live? Going by…
The Amish community in Brownington, Vermont, remains the state’s only settlement, but VT might soon be seeing a second community. The Brownington settlement was started in 2015, though as this article at vtdigger.org reveals, Amish expressed interest in the area even ten years ago, writing to a local realtor about available land. More information on this settlement emerges in another piece at Valley News. They…
Do Amish live in Australia? One family is being described as such in a major profile in the Sydney Morning Herald. The McCallums live in the countryside of the Australian island of Tasmania. Gregory and Bethany, ages 41 and 42 respectively, have eight children, and live in a way that resembles the Amish – dressing plainly, using horse-drawn vehicles, and forgoing public electricity and much…
From mlive.com: GLADWIN, MI — An Amish man will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting three girls over a several years. Gladwin County Circuit Judge Thomas R. Evans on Monday, Oct. 15, sentenced 53-year-old Ora F. Troyer to one term of 15 to 25 years in prison and two terms of 10 to 15 years. The three terms are to run…
Two adults and five children were ejected from their buggy when it was rear-ended in Ashland County, Ohio on Sunday. Three of the passengers, the father and two of the children, have serious injuries and were lifeflighted elsewhere, while the mother and remaining children were taken for local treatment. The children range from toddler age to seven years old. Cleveland’s News 5 reports on the…
Following our look at the 12 Southern states with Amish communities, today we look to the traditionally least-populated-by-Amish region, the West. As Steven Nolt describes in A History of the Amish, Amish arrived in America in two main waves, first settling primarily in Pennsylvania, and later in the Midwest. Over their history on multiple occasions Amish have felt the pull of the West…but for various…
The 12th annual Borntrager’s Consignment Auction is happening next month in Beeville, Texas, site of the state’s lone Amish community. Reader Bob passes along the auction bill for the upcoming sale (below). Several things caught my attention: 1. Homemade ice cream – With an average November temperature in Beeville not far off 80 degrees, ice cream is most definitely still on the bill. 2. Animals for…
Today we have a winner of A Midwife in Amish Country – in fact, we have two winners, as author Kim Osterholzer has kindly offered a second signed copy for the giveaway contest. Kim also wanted to answer some more of your questions about being a midwife – so we’ve got about 10 more below (see part 1 of her answers here). You’ll find the…
Did you know that the South has more states with an Amish population than any other region? First, there’s the question of what defines a region. The South of today is a vast, diverse place. But I think it’s safe to say some states seem more traditionally “southern” than others. For instance, is South Carolina more southern than, say, Maryland? Other states sort of fit…
If measuring by sheer numbers of Amish, Branch County, Michigan is well behind Lagrange County, Indiana just to the southwest. Yet in another way Branch County is quite the “Amish County” – home to 5 separate Amish settlements, some of whom are very plain. The oldest, lying in California Township, has been around nearly six decades. So this is a community where non-Amish people have long…