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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Wisconsin Amish Family Forgives Hit-And-Run Driver

An Amish family has made news by forgiving a hit-and-run driver in Wisconsin. It’s far from the first example of this by the Amish – and we’ve often seen it in much more serious cases (see below). The financial burden is clearly in the family’s thoughts. But it’s also remarkable how warm their sentiments are towards the driver, who seriously injured at least two people….

3 Life Lessons From The Amish (According To A Lancaster Mennonite Pastor)

3 Life Lessons From The Amish (According To A Lancaster Mennonite Pastor)

What would be the 3 biggest “life lessons” the Amish could offer the rest of us? Lancaster County Mennonite pastor Joe Miller shares in a recent article what he feels non-Amish people can learn from the Amish example. “Amish life lessons” or “what we can learn from the Amish” pieces are not uncommon – see these on 4 Amish health habits, 23 ways to “live Amish”,…

Amish Autumn Scenes, Pumpkins, Halloween & More (29 Photos)

Amish Autumn Scenes, Pumpkins, Halloween & More (29 Photos)

With the air crisp and the calendar about to leave October behind, I thought it would be a nice time to look back at fall-related posts we’ve featured here over the years. Check out these beautiful photos by Bill Coleman and others, a look at the Amish and Halloween, and more below. I hope you’re enjoying this autumn season – it has been absolutely beautiful…

The 4 Northeastern States With An Amish Population

The 4 Northeastern States With An Amish Population

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…

Amish Scouting 2nd Possible Settlement In Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

Amish Scouting 2nd Possible Settlement In Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

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 Really Live in Australia?

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…

Michigan Amishman Gets 15-25 Years For Sexual Assault

Michigan Amishman Gets 15-25 Years For Sexual Assault

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…

Repeat Drunk Driver Hits Amish Buggy; 7 Injured

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…

The 5 Western States With An Amish Population (2025)

The 5 Western States With An Amish Population (2025)

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…

Borntrager’s Consignment Auction (Beeville, Texas Amish – November 7 & 8, 2018)

Borntrager’s Consignment Auction (Beeville, Texas Amish – November 7 & 8, 2018)

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…