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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Amish Mother Ruth Miller Denied Bail, Will Remain In Jail. But: Judge Leaves Door Open For Review

Amish Mother Ruth Miller Denied Bail, Will Remain In Jail. But: Judge Leaves Door Open For Review

Amish mother Ruth Miller, charged with aggravated murder in the death of her four-year-old son Vincen Miller along with related charges, had a bail hearing today at Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court in New Philadelphia, Ohio. I had a chance to listen to parts of the hearing, which lasted nearly four hours. You can view the proceedings in full at the linked video at bottom….

Two Amish Children Killed After Driver Falls Asleep At The Wheel & Hits Buggy (Pennsylvania)

Two Amish Children Killed After Driver Falls Asleep At The Wheel & Hits Buggy (Pennsylvania)

Two Amish children, ages seven and nine, are dead in central Pennsylvania after a Sunday night rear-end crash. The 39-year-old driver told police that “believes he fell asleep” while driving. The location is Northumberland County, PA, where there is an Amish community of around 600 in the vicinity of Dornsife. More from PennLive: The crash happened around 8 p.m. in Jackson Township in the 4000 block…

Distracted Driver Hits Buggy; Injures 7 Amish, Some Seriously (Virginia)

Distracted Driver Hits Buggy; Injures 7 Amish, Some Seriously (Virginia)

Another distracted driver has caused a serious buggy crash, this time in Richmond County, Virginia. It happened yesterday afternoon (September 28). A total of seven people in the buggy were injured. Two of them sound like they’re in bad shape. From WTVR: RICHMOND COUNTY, Va. — Two people were medflighted after a car crashed into a horse-drawn buggy carrying seven people at an intersection in…

Truck Hits Buggy, Sending Two Amish Victims To Hospital (Ohio)

Truck Hits Buggy, Sending Two Amish Victims To Hospital (Ohio)

A car left a buggy looking pretty badly, as you can see in the above photo – in a crash which happened Wednesday in Ashland County, Ohio. Ashland County Pictures does a great job as usual reporting this with numerous photos of the accident scene. The driver of the buggy and a teenage passenger both went to hospital, with injuries described as “non-life-threatening”. This is…

Ben & Rose: “Roses In The Snow” (Full Song & Video)

Ben & Rose: “Roses In The Snow” (Full Song & Video)

We’ve heard this one before – but now there’s a video for it as well. In July Ben & Rose put out a short demo clip of “Roses In The Snow”, after which the studio version was released on their album “Slowly But Surely”. This song was made famous by Emmylou Harris and was written by Ruth Franks. It’s a short but sweet one with…

Yes, There Is Autism Among The Amish. But How Much?

Yes, There Is Autism Among The Amish. But How Much?

Do we find autism among the Amish? This topic has, predictably, been all over the news this week. That’s because of comments made by President Trump at a press conference on Tuesday. The most relevant bit of the conference was this segment (emphasis added): Donald Trump 00:03:07-00:03:36 (30 sec) “And the first day, all of these great doctors behind me were there, I told them…

70-Year-Old Amish Man in Hospital After Buggy Wreck; Sun Glare Likely A Factor in Crash (Michigan)

70-Year-Old Amish Man in Hospital After Buggy Wreck; Sun Glare Likely A Factor in Crash (Michigan)

Gladwin County, Michigan was the scene of another buggy accident yesterday. An older Amish man was sent to the hospital after his buggy was hit. Fortunately his injuries are described as “non-life-threatening”. More from Mid Michigan Now: GLADWIN COUNTY, Mich.— On September 24th around 7:15 p.m. the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office were called to investigate a personal injury accident involving a pickup truck and an…

Amish Finish Final “Tiny Home” For NC Hurricane Victims – But Work Continues

Amish Finish Final “Tiny Home” For NC Hurricane Victims – But Work Continues

The Amish and Mennonite outreach to hurricane victims in North Carolina has been well-documented in the media. We’ve looked at several examples here – such as their work in Bat Cave, NC, or their efforts in the heavily-damaged tourist town of Chimney Rock. Plain groups have been an essential part of a wider effort (not to ignore the many contributions of non-Plain volunteers) to help…

Feel Good: Amish Serve Dinner To Raise Money For Firefighters (Michigan)

Feel Good: Amish Serve Dinner To Raise Money For Firefighters (Michigan)

And not just dinner. They also put on an auction in support of their local volunteer firefighting force. The event was held at an Amish farm in Quincy, Michigan – the Jake Steury family farm. More from the Coldwater Daily Reporter: QUINCY TWP., MI — The Amish communities in Quincy and Butler townships served up a chicken dinner, then auctioned off items Friday, Sept. 19…

Scenes From A Big Amish Auction (15 Photos)

Scenes From A Big Amish Auction (15 Photos)

These were taken at Yoder’s Consignment Auction, a big Amish-heavy event in northern Indiana. It’s held twice annually – the second Saturday in April and in September – not too far from Shipshewana, IN. Jim Halverson was in attendance and shares some excellent photos (which, if you’ve been here awhile, you know is par for the course for Jim). This was the simple “Sale Order”…