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 among other positions.
This is a nice talk to listen to if you’d like to get the nuts and bolts of Amish history, and what sets the Amish and Anabaptists apart from other Christian groups. Mark uses an interesting approach by exploring the history not just chronologically, but also using what he calls “through lines” – “certain connections that we can trace going back 500 years.” The talk is supplemented with ample visuals.
The lecture portion lasts for about the first 49 minutes, after which he takes listener questions for the final 10 or so. Also of note: a little after the 53 minute mark, Mark discusses the Amish in Texas, and in particular a short-lived community he lived in, in the 1980s at Gonzales, TX.
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Heritage
Dess is a question nett fa es audio avvah fa dei family iahra history. Ich binn funn Germany un mei geboahra nohma is Laudahn. Ich binn am vunnahra Vann die family is funn Deitshland un da nohma voah a bissl gechanged vo iahr do nivvah kummah Sinn.
Denki fer dei Question. Mei Louden-Voreldre waare net deitsch, sie sin kumme vun Scotland. Der Naame waar aa paar differnti Wege gschpellt: Loudoun, Loudon, Lowden un Louden.
Mark Louden Talk
Very nice, informative overview. Good maps.
Amish Pen Pals?
Is there any way to communicate with the Amish… maybe like a pen pal or something like that? I’d really like to learn and communicate with someone first hand in a respectful and considerate way.
I live in South Florida and my wife and I visited a friend in Tennessee a few years ago. We were briefly exposed to the Swartzentruber Amish community there in Ethridge.