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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New From Third Fret Harmony: “Why Me Lord”

New From Third Fret Harmony: “Why Me Lord”

Here’s a nice new song by Third Fret Harmony, comprised of brother and sister duo Mike and Marty Fisher. This is a tune originally by Kris Kristofferson – another religious song, sung in a slow country style. Wikipedia has this interesting background note in its description of the song: According to country music historian Bill Malone, Kristofferson wrote the song during an emotionally low period…

Woman Hits Amish Teen, But Continues Driving To Work – Because She Didn’t Want To Be Late

Woman Hits Amish Teen, But Continues Driving To Work – Because She Didn’t Want To Be Late

I thought I’d maybe heard it all by now. I guess not. From Penn Live: A woman was charged after she continued driving to work after hitting a horse buggy, injuring a 17-year-old last month in Lancaster County, police said in court documents. Reyna Mondragon Reza, 41, of Chester County, was charged with a misdemeanor count of accident involving injury while not licensed, and driving…

Autumn Images From An Amish Corner Of Kentucky (15 Photos)

Autumn Images From An Amish Corner Of Kentucky (15 Photos)

Reflecting the beauty of the autumn season, today we have another nice photo set by Don Burke, featuring some fall sights from one of Kentucky’s 50+ Amish settlements. As you can see, autumn was in full effect when he took these (this set is not from this year, but some years back). These are from Crittenden County, Kentucky (Marion), home to a well-entrenched community of…

Amish Cook Gloria Yoder: Widows’ Gathering Provides Comfort

Amish Cook Gloria Yoder: Widows’ Gathering Provides Comfort

Several years ago, Amish Cook columnist Gloria Yoder faced one of the toughest tragedies imaginable, when her husband Daniel was killed in an accident. In one of her latest columns, she share a moving account of a gathering of widows she recently attended as she continues to heal. The gathering was held at a Mennonite church in Worthington, Indiana. Gloria herself is a member of…

An Amish Thanksgiving (Part 2): The Amish Table of Thanksgiving

An Amish Thanksgiving (Part 2): The Amish Table of Thanksgiving

This is the second of a three-part Thanksgiving series exploring how the Amish express gratitude—not through words, but through action. Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw shares an unexpected Amish Thanksgiving experience – and what stayed with her after it was over. And if you missed it, check out part 1 (“How The Amish Say Thank You”) here. A few years ago, my young…

“We’re Very Grateful”: West Virginia Amish Man Goes On Camera To Thank Locals For Support As New Store Opens

“We’re Very Grateful”: West Virginia Amish Man Goes On Camera To Thank Locals For Support As New Store Opens

West Virginia has been a “hotspot” Amish state for some time now. Since 2017, a dozen new Amish communities have arisen in the Mountain State. One of them is in Monroe County, WV. The county, in fact, has two very small communities. In one of them, an Amish entrepreneur named Jeff Miller and his family have established a new store – Appalachian Country Store –…

Amish Buggy Somehow Ends Up On Guardrail After Wreck. Driver Was “Following Too Closely”

Amish Buggy Somehow Ends Up On Guardrail After Wreck. Driver Was “Following Too Closely”

The good news in this buggy accident is that everyone is okay (including the horse). But I’m not quite sure how the buggy ended up where it did. Especially with no injuries to the driver. This story comes to us from Newport, New York (Herkimer County) and happened yesterday evening. There aren’t a lot of details, but this is from the report at WKTV on…

Inside An Amish Shop Home – With “Character” (19 Photos)

Inside An Amish Shop Home – With “Character” (19 Photos)

This is one of the more interesting Amish properties I’ve come across – both for the home itself and the land it’s on. It’s a large “shop home” style residence, two stories in fact, located in Wadena County, Minnesota. The area is home to a small Amish community, a little over a decade old, and clearly a plainer Amish group. You can see by the…

Non-Amish Community Support Family of 16-Year-Old Killed in Buggy Hit-and-Run

Non-Amish Community Support Family of 16-Year-Old Killed in Buggy Hit-and-Run

I was just contacted about a new effort to support the family of Elmer Borntrager, the 16-year-old Amish boy killed last week in a hit-and-run incident in Clarke County, Iowa. Elmer was buried this past Sunday, November 16th. He is survived by his parents David and Esther Borntrager and family including siblings. You can see the program from his funeral in the photo above, including…

Amish Girl Dies After Being Run Over By Wagon Loaded With Corn (Wisconsin)

Amish Girl Dies After Being Run Over By Wagon Loaded With Corn (Wisconsin)

Another tragic farm accident has claimed a young Amish person’s life. A 15-year-old girl in Vernon County, Wisconsin has died after being run over by a wagon loaded with corn. From the Vernon Reporter: WESTBY, Wis. — A 15-year-old Amish girl died Friday, Nov. 14 after being run over by a wagon in a farm-related accident in Vernon County, authorities said. Sheriff Roy Torgerson reported…