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 below, along with some photos, all taken by Romain. For…
This is the second Colorado Amish home we’ve seen here. In June we looked at a home in Westcliffe in Custer County, set against some stunning mountain views. This home is located in a different community in the state – Manassa in Conejos County, over a two-hour drive away. Both are within in the vicinity of the San Luis Valley, an area roughly the size…
Reader “The other Erik” recently asked concerning the Linda Stoltzfoos case: How focused on this are Amish people? I’ve noticed a lot of recent articles on this website about this topic. That made me wonder: Are the local Amish, and those in more distant settlements, paying a lot of attention to this crime? What are their thoughts? As it happens, Lancaster Online has just published…
Two updates in the Linda Stoltzfoos case. First, yesterday Justo Smoker pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and a related charge: Justo Smoker will waive his arraignment Friday and has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and false imprisonment in the disappearance of Linda Stoltzfoos, according to court documents. The 18-year-old Amish woman has been missing since June 21. She was last seen walking from church to…
A while back a reader asked if Amish obituaries are made public. I responded with a post on the topic. I see them appear in news feeds nearly daily. They are published in newspapers and find their way online. With that in mind this recent obituary caught my eye for two reasons. One is that it is from the Somerset County, Pennsylvania community. I typically…
This is an absorbing 42-minute documentary on the Little Belize Mennonite colony. Little Belize is the home of approximately 3,000 Old Colony Mennonites, living on about 100 square kilometers of land. The Old Colony Mennonites are Plain Anabaptist cousins of the Amish, with numerous similarities to them. The producers of the documentary, made for the Deutsche Welle network, were granted permission to film some families…
As it does around this time each year, the Young Center at Elizabethtown College has just published its Amish population estimates for 2020 (update: see the latest 2022 numbers here). The total estimated Amish population is 350,665, found in 31 states, four Canadian provinces, and two South American countries. Some interesting takeaways from the figures: 1. Four Large Settlements. The largest settlement, Lancaster County, now…
Another hit-and-run on an Amish buggy. This one happened yesterday in Clare County, Michigan, a place we recently covered here. From 9and10news.com: The Clare County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help to find whoever was behind the wheel during a hit-and-run with an Amish buggy. Deputies says it happened Sunday on Beaverton Road. They believe the car was possibly a Pontiac Grand Am or Grand…
How about another drone video to finish out the week. This one is quite different from the last one by the 717 Drone Guys, which gave us soaring views over Lancaster County Amish farms. In this video they are back at Kissel Hill Fruit Farm – showing some human-level views of the Amish business’ Saturday chicken barbecue event. We usually see drones recording from up…
“I grew up Amish…and for somebody that never was Amish, and goes Amish, I have no way of telling you what that guy would have to go through,” he laughs. “I imagine it would be pretty tough.” That’s Swartzentruber Amishman Dennis Hershberger discussing Amish life, from a very nicely done 8-minute video showing us the community at Harmony, Minnesota. In it, we ride along with…