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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Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping Of Amish Girl — After Months Of Harassment & Indecent Exposure

Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping Of Amish Girl — After Months Of Harassment & Indecent Exposure

ByErik Wesner
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A man has been arrested and charged after what investigators describe as a months-long pattern of harassment & indecent exposure aimed at young females in the Amish community near DeGraff, Ohio. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office laid out the allegations in a press release, via Peak of Ohio: Detectives from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating multiple reports received within the last several…

New York Is America’s #5 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities

New York Is America’s #5 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities

ByErik Wesner

New York is home to America’s fifth-largest Amish population. Over 25,000 Amish live in dozens of locations across the state. These ten communities are the largest in New York, based on the most current Amish population estimates. Population numbers via Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (source link at bottom). 1. Heuvelton Heuvelton (St. Lawrence County) Community founded: 1975 Total Amish…

New York Man Charged With 10 Burglaries Of Amish Homes

New York Man Charged With 10 Burglaries Of Amish Homes

ByErik Wesner
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It looks like another run of targeting the Amish has come to an end. A Brocton, New York man is facing a 35-count indictment over a string of burglaries at Amish homes in the far western end of the state. The burglaries happened in various parts of Chautauqua County, which is home to several separate Amish settlements. More from WGRZ: Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason…

Amish Dairy Recalls Cheese In 5 States – And D.C. – Over Listeria Contamination

Amish Dairy Recalls Cheese In 5 States – And D.C. – Over Listeria Contamination

ByErik Wesner

An Amish-owned dairy in Maryland is recalling all of its cheese products over possible listeria contamination, with distribution having reached five states and Washington, D.C. To date, nine people in multiple states have been identified as infected with this listeria outbreak strain. That includes one person who died in Maryland in 2023. Clover Hill Dairy, based in Mechanicsville, Maryland, first issued a voluntary recall of…

New from Mike & Marty: “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”

New from Mike & Marty: “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”

ByErik Wesner
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“Will The Circle Be Unbroken” was originally written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon, with music by Charles H. Gabriel. Versions of it were later more famously recorded by The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – with variations in lyrics and music. Now Mike and Marty contribute their own effort to the unbroken circle line. Their version of the song…

Virginia Department Of Health Says “Stay Away” From Amish Auction – Due To Measles Outbreak

Virginia Department Of Health Says “Stay Away” From Amish Auction – Due To Measles Outbreak

ByErik Wesner
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The Virginia Department of Health doesn’t often have opinions about Amish auctions. This week it made an exception. In a health advisory issued Thursday, the department pointed to the Amish Parochial School Consignment Auction in Dillwyn, set for this Friday and Saturday, as an event people should skip if they’re not vaccinated against measles. That’s because Buckingham County is in the middle of a measles…

11-Year-Old Amish Boy Seriously Injured After Buggy Pulls Into Path Of Oncoming SUV

11-Year-Old Amish Boy Seriously Injured After Buggy Pulls Into Path Of Oncoming SUV

ByErik Wesner
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It’s believed that an 11-year-old Amish boy pulled out into oncoming traffic, resulting in a serious accident in Gladwin County, Michigan on Wednesday morning. According to police the boy’s view was obscured. Here’s more from ABC 12: The crash happened just after 10 a.m. on McCulloch Rd., about a quarter-mile north of Lang Road in Beaverton Township. According to the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office, an…

12 More Photos From the Central Michigan Amish Retirement Auction

12 More Photos From the Central Michigan Amish Retirement Auction

ByErik Wesner
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Today we’ve got more photos from Jim Halverson’s visit to a retirement auction in Gladwin County, Michigan. It’s a “retirement” auction because the family holding it are apparently getting out of the dairy business. As they write in the sale bill, “We are retiring and will offer the following at Public Auction.” It happens commonly enough. In many cases, a willing son and his family,…

Wisconsin Is America’s #4 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Largest Communities

Wisconsin Is America’s #4 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Largest Communities

ByErik Wesner
1 Comment

Wisconsin is home to America’s fourth-largest Amish population, with over 27,000 Amish living across the state. These ten communities rank as the biggest in Wisconsin, based on the most current Amish population estimates. While Wisconsin does not have many very large Amish communities, the state makes up for it in number –  having the second-most individual Amish settlements of any state. Population numbers via Young…

Hundreds of Amish Turn Out for Road, Home, and Farm Safety Day (Nappanee)

Hundreds of Amish Turn Out for Road, Home, and Farm Safety Day (Nappanee)

ByErik Wesner

Amish life presents certain hazards that typical non-Amish life does not. Those can include dangers when traveling by buggy, working on the farm, or even dangers from non-electric fuels in the home. Adding a lot of children to the mix, as is the norm for Amish families, adds another layer to the topic. Of course, Amish parents teach their children the do’s and don’ts for…