In this video, I answer some questions on the Amish and dating (or “courting”, though that’s not quite the same thing), thanks to info from Karen Johnson-Weiner’s book The Lives of Amish Women. I share a couple of excerpts from the book, which provide answers to the following: Can Amish girls ask boys out for dates? What do Amish feel is the purpose of courtship?…
This is maybe the most commonly-asked question I’ve gotten in the weeks following the February 3 train derailment and chemical spill and burn in East Palestine, Ohio. This is is an area right on the border with Pennsylvania. There are a number of Amish communities in the region. Within the greater overall concern for the residents of the region, a number of people have been wondering…
This is just a short report with not a lot of details, but worth posting under the “Feelgood News Files” heading 😉 (that doesn’t actually exist here but maybe it should). Unnamed Amish residents of Rossie, New York alerted their non-Amish neighbors Tuesday morning that their abode was ablaze. A chimney fire, to be precise. From wwnytv.com: Fire Chief Tom Conklin says when firefighters arrived,…
A tragic van rollover accident in Iowa two weeks ago claimed the lives of young Amish father Ervin Borntreger, his one-year-old son, and two of his also very young nieces. Remarkably, the Amish community has allowed the Dyersville Commercial newspaper to publish an account of the funeral and even some photos. This article is noteworthy in that it gives us one of the closest looks…
Amish in Unity, Maine recently completed their yearly harvest of ice. This ice is to be used in their ice houses for cooling throughout the coming year. Harvesting ice from local ponds is a common practice among the plainest Amish, though the Amish in this community don’t exactly fit the conventional definition of “plainest”. From the report at centralmaine.com: UNITY — A group of 30…
A heartwarming story out of Vernon County, Wisconsin. A man named Bill Markee had a special relationship with the local Amish community. They apparently felt similarly towards him, as you’ll see in this account (via news8000.com): “My dad was a unique individual who could carry a conversation with anybody,” said Mat Markee. Born in 1936, William “Bill” Markee considered himself a part of the old…
Another year comes to a close. I hope yours was a good one. I’ll finish up 2022 with what I usually do – a look back at some favorite posts of the soon-to-conclude year. “Favorite” means well-commented or just generally liked by you (or me). I’ve listed these in no particular order, other than chronologically. And, one piece of news: I have been working for…
A potentially grim story with a happy ending in a Wisconsin Amish community. From WKOW: GRANT COUNTY (WKOW) — An Amish baby who was missing for two hours in Grant County Friday was found safe thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office was first notified about the missing baby in Hickory Grove Township around 10:30 a.m. Sheriff Nate Dreckman…
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. You know when I manage to pause and think for a bit, I usually find there is a lot to be thankful for. I found Gloria Yoder’s words in her previous column inspiring on that matter. How do the Amish celebrate Thanksgiving? I’m reposting below the video I made last year on this occasion. You can also check out…
This happened in the Geauga County Amish settlement, which is notorious for its wild youth and parties. The boy who lost his life early Sunday morning was 17-year-old Mark Slabaugh. It is described as an “Amish party” attended by around 200 people in this video report by WFMJ. Though he’s not identified as such anywhere that I can found, Slabaugh is a common Amish last…