Amish History

Romain Speisser, who gave us a look at the history of the Amish in Salm (Alsace, France), returns today with a historical look at the Heftler people – and in particular an Amishman named Joseph Beller, notable as being likely the last Amish person in his area. The name “Beiler” (seen often in Lancaster County) […]

Continue Reading Amish History: “Heftler” Joseph Beller of Quelle

A tractor and a four-horse team were used to move a historic Amish schoolhouse Friday from a location outside Arthur, Illinois to its new home at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center. It took around two hours to move it about nine miles. Image: Heritage Iron Magazine The school had been purchased by a woman named […]

Continue Reading Amish Move 100-Year-Old Schoolhouse (Video)

We finish out the Rediscovering the Ausbund series with part 4 of 4 today. Thanks to Elam Stoltzfus for sharing with us. This series was originally published in Plain Values magazine. If you missed them, here are parts one, two, and three. Music, hymns and words are ingrained at an early age; indeed there is […]

Continue Reading Elam Stoltzfus: Rediscovering the Ausbund (Part 4)

Today we have part 3 of 4 in Elam Stoltzfus’ series on the Ausbund. If you missed them, here are parts 1 and 2.  2017 was the 500 year anniversary of the start of the Reformation. The anniversary commemorated Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the church doors in Wittenberg in 1517, which was […]

Continue Reading Elam Stoltzfus: Rediscovering the Ausbund (Part 3)

Here’s Elam Stoltzfus with part 2 of 4 of his Rediscovering the Ausbund series, originally published in Plain Values magazine. If you missed part 1, find that here. All photos here are by Elam. My father Elmer was an Ausbund song leader. When we met for church, he would lead the Amish congregation in song, starting […]

Continue Reading Elam Stoltzfus: Rediscovering the Ausbund (Part 2)

We’ve got two winners today of German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story by Nic Stoltzfus (if you missed the interview with Nic, find it here). But first, an excerpt from the book. This is a section on the question of who was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ wife. She was at least partially known, but […]

Continue Reading Who Was Nicholas Stoltzfus’ Wife? (Excerpt & 2 Stoltzfus Family Book Winners)

Mark Louden gave a talk last month entitled “A Historical Look At The Amish” which you might enjoy. This hourlong talk was given online for the Allen Public Library of Allen, Texas. Mark is the author of Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language and professor of Germanic Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin […]

Continue Reading Mark Louden: A Historical Look At The Amish (Audio Lecture)

I enjoy looking at old postcards. I came across five interesting vintage Amish postcards on Flickr to share with you. Several of these are from the Lancaster County area. One or two have a touch of humor to them. Let’s have a look. 1. Greetings From The Pennsylvania Dutch Country This is a card with […]

Continue Reading 5 Vintage Amish Postcard Scenes

Reader Romain Speisser has shared a guest post today on the history of the Amish in his region of Alsace in France. Romain writes about the “Heftler” people and some of the significant figures of the area – as well as one important oak tree over two centuries old. I share with you Romain’s post […]

Continue Reading Amish History: Anabaptists in Salm (Alsace)

Riehl is not the most common of Amish names. You’re most likely to come across it in Lancaster County, and that community’s daughter settlements, but even then it is far outnumbered by all the Stoltzfuses, Fishers, and Zooks. The Riehl surname is noteworthy for having one of the more famous “Amish origin” stories of any […]

Continue Reading Amish History: The Ludwig Riehl Story