New York Amish: Book giveaway and interview with Karen Johnson-Weiner

“New York” and “Amish” may seem an odd match.

But the Empire State has seen its Amish population soar in recent years, and is currently home to the 5th-largest grouping of Amish in North America.

SUNY-Potsdam Professor of Anthropology Karen Johnson-Weiner has spent years researching the various Amish communities in New York.

Karen’s new book New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State is the first to explore Amish settlement in the state.

new york amish quilts

While you won’t find any Amish on the island of Manhattan, since 1949 they have established nearly three dozen settlements across the state, from Western NY to the North Country near the Canadian border.

Today, Karen answers questions about the Amish of New York state, in this first part of a 2-part interview.

New York Amish giveaway

We’re also giving away a copy of New York Amish.  There are 2 ways to enter this contest:

  1. new york amish book johnson weinerLeave a comment or question on this post=1 entry
  2. Mention this contest on your own blog (1 entry) and/or Facebook (1 entry).  (drop a quick email to amishamerica@gmail.com to let me know you did)

…for a possible total of 3 entries.  The winner will be drawn at random in one week’s time, on Thursday Sep 16th. (entries accepted until midnight EST Wed Sep 15th)

I found the book fascinating and one of the best I’ve read on the Amish.  I hope you will too.  Thanks to Karen for sharing such an interesting interview.

Karen Johnson-Weiner on New York Amish: Part 1

Amish America: In recent years the Amish population in New York has grown by leaps and bounds.  What are reasons Amish have found the Empire State attractive for settlement?

Karen Johnson-Weiner: The Amish are moving for different reasons. Many are coming from large, crowded settlements, while others might be avoiding internal conflicts.  Some find they can no longer afford to purchase property in their home community—or there may be no farms available. They’ve come to New York State because there is available land at reasonable prices. New York offers them the opportunity to maintain—or even return to—an agrarian lifestyle.

AA: In New York Amish you examine the wealth of diversity across Amish society in New York, ranging from Swartzentruber to New Order communities.  Can you explain the implications of “being Amish” in different ways, i.e., how does this diversity affect daily life and relationships across Amish communities?

KJW: How a group is Amish—its Ordnung and the way the Ordnung structures the life of the church—shapes the work one can do, whether one can work with non-Amish and how and where, what kinds of technology one will use in the home or in the shop, how one will dress, whether your buggy has a top or a windshield, what one will study in school, and with which other church communities one will fellowship.

For example, members of the most conservative Swartzentruber factions are not permitted to work “in town,” and so carpenter crews can build houses only in rural areas—their counterparts in more progressive communities can work on homes and garages located within village or city limits.

new york amish school
A conservative Amish school in the Conewango Valley

From birth to death, one’s life is shaped by how one’s community is Amish. A Swartzentruber baby wears cloth diapers and no rubber pants, while a baby in a more progressive community may wear a disposable diaper, meaning that washing diapers takes up much more of a Swartzentruber mother’s time than these tasks do in more progressive communities. Moreover, since the cloth diapers on that Swartzentruber baby cannot be the “prefolded” kind most stores sell, the mother has more sewing to do to make diapers.

Because the Swartzentruber Amish and other conservative groups have not accepted gas refrigerators or freezers (for example), women do much more canning than those in communities that have these things.  And, if your community has freezers, then the men don’t need to harvest ice in wintertime.

One’s church determines how one will do other tasks as well—some groups have chain saws and others don’t, some permit indoor plumbing while others sanction only (manual) hand pumps, and some permit battery-operated table lamps while others rely on kerosene lanterns. Women who must oil their wood floors plan housework differently than those who wash linoleum. How one is Amish also limits social interaction.  Young folks from one church group won’t date someone from a group that’s not in fellowship with their own.

new york amish sausage
Sausage-making in a Swartzentruber Amish home

Amish diversity affects Amish interaction with the non-Amish world as well.  The Ordnung may limit the extent to which a group can comply with local ordinances.  Swartzentruber Ordnungs do not permit church members to display the slow moving vehicle sign on their buggies or wagons.  Many groups have had difficulty with local zoning boards.  Members of some very conservative Amish churches do not have social security numbers, which makes banking difficult.

AA: You describe the differing non-Amish responses to Amish settlement in New York, ranging from the newspaper letter-writer who described Amish buggies as “a good omen” to the one who rather viewed Amish transportation as “anything but…picturesque”, and  “an accident waiting to happen.”

Why the disparate reactions?  In what ways have Amish cooperated with the non-Amish public in New York, and how have they come into conflict?

KJW: Amish families often become good friends with their neighbors.  Depending on the type of Amish, members of the community may be working for or with non-Amish individuals or businesses, and Amish church members from all communities get to know the non-Amish with whom they interact.  Even Swartzentruber women running farm stands make close friends among their customers!

NY Amish Mayville Brown Buggy
Buggies of the fairly conservative Mayville Amish feature an SMV triangle and minimal reflectors

When there is difficulty—whether personal or resulting from natural disasters—the Amish are there to help their neighbors. When dairy farms were hit hard during an ice storm that cut off power across a wide swath of northern New York State, the Amish pitched in to help milk cows by hand.

Amish also pitched in to help when flooding affected New York’s Mohawk Valley.  More routinely, many Amish contribute items to local fire department fundraisers, and Amish parents routinely send their children to help chore for elderly neighbors.

new york amish clymer buggy
Clymer Amish buggies are well-lit, and  equipped with windshields and sometimes wipers

When the first Amish families move into a region, their non-Amish neighbors are often unsure about what to expect from them. Some praise them as pioneers, individualists, spiritual gurus, and back-to-the-land environmentalists, but others reject them as scofflaws, and religious extremists. Moreover, there are a lot of myths, half-truths, and imaginative fictions about the Amish, and when the Amish don’t behave like their new neighbors expect them to, there is sometimes resentment.

The Amish want to be good neighbors, but being good church members comes first, and this may cause difficulties—especially since one group may permit things that a neighboring group does not, causing those in the mainstream to wonder what’s really Amish.

Major conflicts have come over issues such as the refusal of very conservative churches to use the slow moving vehicle triangle on buggies and wagons, the inability of groups to meet state requirements for building permits, child labor, and children’s healthcare.

As I noted in my book, New York Amish, the Amish sincerely believe that they must remain separate from the world, and so being different or “unconformed” is a sign of faith. After all, the Amish say, if God’s truth is unchanging, then God’s church must also resist change. And because they are different in a fallen world, the Amish expect that they will be persecuted like their Anabaptist ancestors.

new york amish home interior
Inside a Swartzentruber Amish home

As a result, when Amish church members have to go to court because, having followed the Ordnung, they have violated different statutes and laws, they do so firm in their belief that they are suffering for their faith. Worldly society establishes the norms to which Amish society cannot conform and, thus, helps to shape Amish life. But, since rejection of social norms is, after all, rejection of those who establish them and the laws that perpetuate them, conflict may be inevitable.

AA: “Swiss” ethnicity Amish are generally lesser-known in the public.  You detail Swiss Amish settlement in New York in a chapter devoted do this group.  How do Swiss Amish differ from Pennsylvania German ethnicity Amish?  To what degree do Swiss Amish interact with non-Swiss communities in New York?

KJW: The Swiss Amish have a somewhat different history than their Pennsylvania German counterparts; although they chose an Old Order path, few Swiss Amish leaders attended the 19th century Diener Versammlungen, which helped to define the Old Order Amish churches.

The Swiss Amish have a reputation for being stubborn, and their communities have been shaped by internal conflict.  Today the large Swiss Amish settlements in Indiana are marked by distinct clothing, buggy styles, and, of course, the Shwitsa (Swiss German) dialect they speak, which their Pennsylvania German counterparts find difficult to understand.

The three related Swiss settlements in New York State, which trace their roots to Indiana, all have historical and family connections to Old Order non-Swiss Amish settlements in Michigan and Indiana, and so their black buggies with tops and patterns of dress help them look much like their non-Swiss Amish counterparts in those regions.

The Swiss communities in New York cooperate with their Amish neighbors, joining in barn raisings and shopping at Amish-owned businesses.  But their social interaction is with those groups with whom they fellowship.

————————————————————————————–

Continue reading part 2 of the New York Amish interview with Karen Johnson-Weiner.  Read more on New York Amish in the Amish State Guide, or find Empire State Amish woodworkers in the NY Amish furniture guide or Amish Furniture Rochester NY directory..

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    167 Comments

    1. Liz

      Very interesting article. I’d love to win a copy of the book.

    2. Thanks for the tip for this book! I’m looking forward to the rest of the interview.

    3. Csarina

      What an interesting interview, I look forward to the second part.

      Having had a life long interest in the Amish I was interested to read that hey have moved into New York State. I would love to win the book. I hope I am lucky.

    4. John Gingerich

      I enjoyed reading the review, and since I have many Amish relatives and friends in New York, I look forward to reading the book!
      John

    5. Leo

      Being a New York State resident, and having met many Amish people right here in this state, I am Really looking forward to reading this book.

    6. dana

      Thanks for posting. Very interesting interview, look forward for the rest. Good luck with book Karen. And By the way I love the picture with rings of kielbasa it remains me my home

    7. This is so interesting! I appreciate the info.

    8. Interesting article. I would love to win a copy of the book.

    9. An excellent article!! I would love to win this book!!

    10. Alecia

      I would love to read this book. I live near the Mohawk Valley Amish and buy many bake goods and produce from them. I also have a brother that lives near the western NY settlements. This is a wonderful website and I can’t wait to read part 2 of the interview.

    11. Very interesting article. I enjoyed this very much.

    12. Nadege Armour

      Nice article, I would love to win the book.

    13. Kathy Kinnamon

      Would love to win the book. The Amish are very interesting people.

    14. Kevin

      Was not familiar witht the Amish in NY. Would be interestedd in the book.

    15. This was a very interesting interview, and I’m looking forward to the second installment. I’d love to win this book. I am soon moving to a county in south-central KY where there is a large Mennonite community, so this Amish community book will be interesting with some of the similarities, though I know that there are probably many variances as well. Take care, from KY.

    16. Dr._K

      This article nicely captures the vast differences within the group known as ‘The Amish People.’ I found it an enjoyable lunch-time read. I’m very much looking forward to part 2. The photography was a pleasant complement to the text. Thank you for this service.

    17. Karen Schulz

      Very interesting article. Pictures are fantastic! The Amish culture is fascinating to me, and I read whatever I can get my hands on…

    18. Rick

      Good article. Kind of surprised the Mayville community carried over the buggy color from New Wilmington PA, though as much as the Amish letters in the local NW newspaper mention Mayville, I would expect a pretty direct relationship between them.

    19. Linda Lewis

      This is very exciting to me since I live in western New York and there are Amish communities all around where we live. The Amish women shop in our local stores (mostly Aldi’s) and many people hire the Amish men to do woodworking and building on their properties. I can’t wait to get this book and start reading about the Amish in our area. The only town name I noticed in the article was Mayville which is about 15 miles from where I live. The Amish here are very friendly and make very good neighbors.

      I’m so glad that someone finally noticed the Amish in western New York state!

    20. Dena Casey

      Loved the article! I would also enjoy the opportunity to read Karen’s book. Wow! Maybe I’ll win a copy! lol

    21. Keri Bucci

      I love learning all I can about the Amish, and didn’t realize there were any in NY. Would love to read this book!

    22. Patrick Dispensa

      Very interesting. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the Amish society. How do they feel about medicine and would they ever consider a hospital stay if sick? Enter me in the book contest. Thanks

    23. Bill

      Interesting interview. I noticed the caption under the picture of the Mayville buggy mentions they lack storm fronts. The buggies do have fronts that can be popped in during cold or inclement weather. Looking forward to part 2.

    24. Kat

      There are Amish near my hometown of Little Falls, NY. I would like to read more about New York Amish, so enter me in your book contest!

    25. Very interesting article, I am fascinated with how the Amish community lives, and I’d love to win a copy of the book. Thanks!

    26. Heidi Hurtado

      Learned several different facts that I was unaware of. Orange buggies? I would love to win a copy of the book!

    27. Dola Rotter

      I didn’t know there were Amish in New York. I look forward to reading the book.

    28. I didn’t realize there are Amish communities in New York. I am fascinated by the Amish ways. I can’t wait to read the second part of this interview. God bless.

    29. Norma Burroughs

      I love all things Amish! great article and can’t wait to read the book.

    30. Teddy Coltharp

      Amish people and their way of life is like a breath of fresh air. So interesting. Did not know there are so many settlements in New York.

    31. Jennifer Corgan

      Very interesting. I live in NY and I know some former Amish people…

    32. Meg

      Interesting! I went to school up in this area.

    33. LeAnn Mooneyha

      I would love to win the book too. The pictures are
      wonderful. I love to read about the Amish.

    34. LeAnn Mooneyham

      I love to read about the Amish. Would love to win
      her book. The pictures are great.

    35. Shaun Paulsen

      Loved reading the interview about the Amish. I have always been interested in the Amish and their way of life. I am hoping to one day visit an Amish community. I would love to read the book and learn more about their ways.

    36. Sandra Kaczanowcke

      I would like to win a copy of this book. I used to live in the North Country. When I go back to visit family there, I have seen some of the Amish in the stores and driving their buggies on the side of the road.

    37. Crystal

      Loved the article. Would like to win the book!

    38. Krystal Smith

      Loved the Interview. Would love to read the book !

    39. Beckie

      Can’t wait to read the book. Loved the article

    40. I’ve never heard of Swartzentruber Amish and its very interesting! Their whole way of life just amazes me. I would love to enter the giveaway
      nataliew2(at)gmail(dot)com

    41. Nancy D'Oporto

      I would so much love to win this book. I read everything Amish. I dearly love the amish!!!

    42. Katie Troyer

      Very interesting and accurate. I used to live in upstate New York.

    43. Katie H.

      My ancestors’ family farm in western NY is now in Amish hands, for which I’m grateful. I would love to know more!

    44. Betty

      I enjoy Amish books. Please enter me in the book giveaway. Thanks

    45. Karen Pollard

      Sounds like a very interesting book. I bought an Amish boy and girl doll Saturday at a quilt auction from a Schwartzentruber young woman.

    46. Donna Taylor

      Would love to win the book. It is so interesting to read about the Amish. Thanks

    47. cynthia larson

      Thanks for the interesting info, and touching photos. Am looking forward to part 2.

    48. Karen Gervais

      Thank you for the interesting article, can not wait to read the rest. I live in New York state and knew the Amish live here too, but never have seen them. I requested this book from the library but would love to win one for my Amish book collection.

    49. Connie Elrod

      I reallyt enjoyed the interview/article. I was surprised to hear of the Amish in New York. I would love to win your book and read all about them. If it is as interesting as your article..then it will be a good book. Thanks