From the Watertown Daily Times: CANTON — An Amish couple is waiting to find out if child neglect charges against them will be dropped following a closed-door conference Thursday in Family Court. The couple, Annie L. and Levi M. Shetler, were charged last year after they refused open-heart surgery for their newborn daughter, Sarah, because they said the operation goes against the tenets of their…
From the New Republic, on Amish signing leases with energy companies: Miller is physically imposing—stout and broad-shouldered—but also painfully timid. When pressed on what his neighbors had earned, he gazed for a long time at Edna, who, with one of their daughters, was chalking the outline of a man’s pantleg onto a bolt of wool rolled out on the table. “My wife and I took…
A reader shares: It is not uncommon to see buggies in the NE Indiana community with stickers on their SMV triangles. Â I have seen Jayco stickers, KZ RV stickers, logos of fish, deer, horses, and a few religious bumper stickers. Â And it’s not just the youth either. Â I have seen several married people with stickers on their buggies. The youth are more likely to have…
Amish population figures are available for 2013 on the Amish Studies website. Among the new numbers you’ll find: Total church districts is estimated at 2,056 The Amish population has risen 20% since 2008 The top 10 states with Amish account for 92% of the total population “High-growth” states over the past 21 years include New York, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Â Among the “slow-growth” are Delaware and…
Just back from Pennsylvania and the Elizabethtown College Amish conference. Lest you think I was on campus all week, I share a few photos here proving I ventured out. Â Early June is a beautiful time in Lancaster County, and though it rained the first two days of the conference, Saturday and Sunday the weather was just dandy. I spent some time with the youth over…
On Saturday morning at the Amish technology conference, an Amish speaker gave a short talk on the Ordnung (church rules), key to the discussion of the Amish relationship to technology. I was presenting at the time so was not able to hear it in person. However I was able to acquire a copy of the talk, entitled “A reflection on the nature of Ordnung and…
I gave my talk on Amish-themed websites this morning at the Amish & Technology Conference at Elizabethtown College. Four main points covered in the talk: Many Amish websites have a commercial aspect, even those we might not expect to A number of indicators suggest Amish website visitors are more often female and middle-aged Searchers find Amish websites via many obscure search terms There are likely…
As mentioned a few weeks ago, food ethnographer William Woys Weaver has written a new book entitled As American as Shoofly Pie: The  Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine. I recently asked Dr. Weaver ten questions about his book, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and their cuisine, which you’ll find below.  I found his answers very interesting and I hope you do too. Amish America: Who…
Road signs warning of buggies are ubiquitous in Amish areas. Â This is the first time I’ve seen one alerting drivers of an Amish funeral ahead. This sign was spotted on an Indiana backroad. Â As you’d expect, funerals can be heavily-attended occasions, among the largest events held at Amish homes. Another time to stay particularly alert is on Sunday morning when Amish travel to church services,…
Today we have 3 winners of The Amish, the new book by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt. You’ll find the contest winners at the bottom of this post. We also have the second part of the author Q-and-A (if you missed it, read Part 1Â here). Part 2 below covers general questions on the Amish and is a sample of topics covered and expanded…