Amish Culture

In the latest edition of the Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC) we find an article by Henry Troyer titled “Change and Continuity in Amish Wedding Dates in the Holmes County, Ohio, Settlement“. I found several interesting facts in Troyer’s piece I’d like to share with you, concerning Holmes County wedding customs. Let’s start with the […]

Continue Reading 3 Interesting Facts About Holmes County Amish Weddings

David Marvitz, who took the ice harvest photos we saw here last month, recently shared how he got permission to photograph Amish in Hazleton, Iowa. More on that below. I was also in touch with David after that post went up. He passed along another nice set of photos, this time of a young Amish […]

Continue Reading David Marvitz: How I Got Permission To Photograph The Amish

We learned the sad news of Lovina Eicher’s daughter Susan’s husband being killed in a car accident in December, along with his driver. Mose Bontrager was only 30 and married just three years. In this week’s Amish Kitchen column, Lovina turns it over to Susan to share an update three months after her loss. Here’s […]

Continue Reading Lovina Eicher’s Daughter Shares Update 3 Months After Losing Her Husband

These near-perfect photos by David Marvitz almost look like something staged or taken from a film. Actually, the scenes remind me of some of Bill Coleman’s masterpiece photos taken in the Big Valley of central PA, which have a similar quality. But these are real Amish at work – cutting and collecting ice in the […]

Continue Reading A Dozen Amishmen Collect Ice From A Frozen Pond (14 Photos)

We’re not told where this singing video takes place, but the dress is Midwestern Amish. We see numerous Amish young people sitting around the table at what looks to be a youth gathering. This is a relatively new video, posted this past November. You can see a wringer washer – are we in a basement, […]

Continue Reading Amish Youth: Uplifting Singing Around The Table

Here’s a remarkable feel-good story about a team of audiologists helping Amish children with hearing and ear issues. In one plain Amish community in southern Michigan, medical professionals saw an uptick of children losing their hearing (untreated or repeated ear infections can cause hearing loss). From the Michigan Health blog: In 2019, Winters and her […]

Continue Reading Audiologists Persuade Bishops To Accept Digital Hearing Aids – Helping Dozens Of Amish Children With Hearing Loss

This is not your typical Amish singing video. What we see here is something called the Sail & Sing Christian Cruise. It’s a tour company based out of New Holland, PA. So what are Amish doing on a cruise ship, you might be wondering? For those who wish to visit Europe (or anywhere overseas), ship […]

Continue Reading 700 Amish & Mennonites Singing On A Cruise Ship (Video)

Lancaster Online provides some more background to yesterday’s news of a homicide charge against Justo Smoker in the Linda Stoltzfoos disappearance. First, a response from Linda’s uncle, Mervin Fisher: “I think, speaking myself as a father, if you have a man who knows where your daughter is and has not said, that’s tough when it […]

Continue Reading More Details On The Linda Stoltzfoos Case & Homicide Charge

From the Spooner, Wisconsin Advocate: Five children were injured when an allegedly drunk driver crashed into their horse and buggy on Monday afternoon, Dec. 7. The accident occurred on Cty. Hwy. M near Church Road, west of Birchwood. The horse and buggy was northbound on Hwy. M and was rear ended by a pick-up truck. […]

Continue Reading Go Fund Me For 5 Amish Children Hurt In Alleged Drunk Driving Accident

Putting a bow on the topic of the Amish and the 2020 election, Lancaster Online asks “Was 2020 a breakout year for Amish voters? Here’s what the numbers show“. While exact numbers on Amish voters are not available, they analyzed the township data and found that it suggested that “the multi-year effort to register these […]

Continue Reading Did Amish Vote In Greater Numbers In 2020?