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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Rules of a Godly life: Serving Christ

From Rules of a Godly Life, Part 3 “Works”.  Number 8: Be a true servant to Christ, not only by attending church services or by taking part in religious ceremonies, but throughout every area of your life, shunning all sin, and with a true obedient spirit obeying all the commandments of God. Be not satisfied with a reputation for godliness: let your character be equally…

Leaving the Amish of Parke County, Indiana

Amish began moving from Lancaster to Parke County, Indiana in 1991.  Today there are six Amish church districts in the vicinity of county seat Rockville. Along with a similar group in Wayne County, the Parke County Amish are unlike others in Indiana.  Here you’ll find the Lancaster grey buggy and plenty of Stoltzfuses, Kings and Fishers, all signs of the “Pennsylvania presence” in Indiana. I…

Kathy the Amish Doll Maker

Kathy the Amish Doll Maker

On Friday we had a look at a West Tennessee Amish community, including some signs of Amish businesses in the settlement.  Today Brenda shares a little bit about one of those businesses, a local Amish doll maker: My Amish friend, Kathy, asked me to help her come up with an idea to make some extra money, which was needed to help her husband, Mahlon, pay…

Amish in West Tennessee

Amish in West Tennessee

Today Brenda shares some photos that tie together a few of the topics we’ve covered lately, namely Amish business, buggy safety, and small communities.  The shots below are from the Amish settlement in Carroll County, Tennessee. Carroll County is in western Tennessee, about a 2-hour drive in either direction from Nashville or Memphis. The Amish community is located near the towns of Huntingdon and Bruceton…

How much should be done to improve buggy safety?

How much should be done to improve buggy safety?

Webster County, Missouri Amishman Emanuel Schwartz shares his road safety concerns with a news station in this video. Schwartz would like the Missouri DOT to create more buggy pull-offs on a dangerous stretch of highway. These are particularly important in hilly areas or on curves where visibility is poor. Amish take into account road traffic when founding a new community. However that is just one…

The Work Of Dr. Holmes Morton

The Work Of Dr. Holmes Morton

“These children are seen as important to the culture and the community. That they, through your efforts to help these children, that they teach you things that are helpful in other ways. And that that engenders within the community a sense of responsibility for everybody to take care of those who are disadvantaged.” That’s Dr. Holmes Morton discussing the role of ill and disabled children in…

The subtle language of Amish business signs

The subtle language of Amish business signs

A writer for the Washington Post visits the New Wilmington, PA Amish community in this article.  It’s a pretty straightforward Travel section piece.  One paragraph did jump out at me: Craftsmen and seamstresses advertise their wares with simple hand-lettered signs painted on scraps of wood — Furniture. Quilts. Jams & Jellies. Harness Maker — leaving you to discover the true quality of what’s for sale…

A Sympathetic Look at Bergholz (Amish Beard Cutters)

A Sympathetic Look at Bergholz (Amish Beard Cutters)

A reporter from the Cleveland Plain Dealer visited Bergholz recently, and has given us a look at the community from a different perspective. Unlike most previous coverage, this article provides a rather sympathetic look at the group: Last week, members of the Bergholz community scoffed at the government’s portrayal. They said they were tired of being treated like zoo animals by others in different Amish…

The Amish of Rexford, Montana

The Amish of Rexford, Montana

For people living in the East, Montana is one of those romantic Western states that make you think of big skies and freedom. And that also might explain why the state has attracted some Amish. The first permanent Amish settlers came to the Treasure State in the 1970s. Drawn by the scenery and hunting opportunities, Amish living back East visit Montana fairly frequently. The Montana…