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…
2024 update: It appears that Shetler’s is no longer maintaining an online presence. The business still exists though, and sells many of their products via a great annual catalog. Below you can find contact info for Shetler’s in order to get a catalog. Well, not exactly like the Amish, if you’re ordering online. But I still wanted to draw your attention to Shetler’s Wholesale, a…
I found an Amish home listing in The First State, aka Delaware. This state of just three counties has just one Amish community, but it is a long-lived one. It’s located next to the city of Dover, which is one reason we might be finding this particular home advertisement online. That it, the settlement’s proximity to the city has put some pressure on the community,…
Over 200 calves died following an explosion and fire which ravaged an Amish farmer’s barn yesterday. From WNDU: ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) – An Amish calf barn caught on fire this afternoon, killing the majority of the family’s calves. The call came in around 4:30 p.m. Crews responded to the 59000 block of State Road 13 in Middlebury. Neighboring fire departments assisted. Crews said they…
The judge at a preliminary hearing yesterday found that there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial in the case of Linda Stoltzfoos’ disappearance. Justo Smoker will be tried for felony kidnapping and misdemeanor imprisonment. Detective Christopher Jones testified. Via Penn Live: “She was nice, caring and always wanted to know about other people,” Jones testified today. The 18-year-old taught at an Amish…