Marlene Miller is a convert to the Amish and author of Grace Leads Me Home, a memoir of becoming Amish and her life in the 45 years since. I read Marlene’s book a couple of months ago and quite enjoyed it. Here is how I described my overall impression: I liked the book.  We’ve seen a few accounts of individuals leaving the Amish lately (see Ira…
Three weeks ago Amish outhouse troubles made local news in Ohio. Â The story seems to be repeating itself in Kansas, but this one is being picked up by national media. Bourbon County officials have asked Amish near Fort Scott to comply with outhouse regulations. Â These include installing a $1,000 holding tank, and paying to have them pumped out every 1-2 years. The Fort Scott settlement…
There has been some discussion over whether an Amish community exists at Verdigre in Nebraska.  Here’s what I wrote a year ago in the Nebraska Amish state guide: The Verdigre area (Knox County) was home to another Amish settlement founded by Amish from Michigan in 2003.  The pioneer couple, Eddie and Mattie Petersheim, were profiled in a newspaper article shortly after arriving in Nebraska.  The Petersheims sought…
M.L. Shetler, Watchmaker 7676 Route 62 South Dayton, NY 14138 Among the many Amish cabinet makers, quilters, and contractors, you occasionally come across specialist businesses which fulfill a niche need or focus on some throwback trade which relatively few in society handle. Taxidermists or shoe repair shops come to mind as examples. Today we have a look at an Amish clock and watch restoration shop,…
Unfortunately harassing the Amish happens often enough that it even goes by a few colorful terms such as “Amo-bashing”. Â It can range from petty vandalism to verbal abuse to even assault. A pair of recent incidents go a step further into felony criminal territory. Â Two Amish couples in Geauga County, Ohio were held up a week ago in separate incidents on the same road. The…
Brenda shares some photos from Carroll County, Tennessee, taken on a recent laundry day. We’ve had a lot of posts on the Ethridge, TN Amish, but not much from the other communities in the Volunteer State. There are only a few other Amish in Tennessee, and they are quite small settlements, so nice to hear from a lesser-known corner of Amish America. On to the…
The best known Amish community in Ohio is of course the huge Holmes County settlement, home to around 30,000 Amish. Next would be the Geauga County community, the fourth largest of all Amish settlements, with a little less than half the population of Holmes County. Those may be the most well known Ohio Amish locations, but there are many other Amish settlements scattered across the…
Have a look “behind the wheel” of an Old Order Mennonite buggy. This was taken by Tom at the New York Haiti Auction. What do you notice? Tom notes that it has “a speedometer. LED lights, windshield and all the bells and whistles. I asked a man what a buggy like this one would cost and he said $5,000.00 and then the same or more…
Amish and Mennonites are known for putting on a series of Haiti benefit auctions throughout the year in various locations. Â These auctions are meant to support mission work in the impoverished country. Today Tom serves up photos from a Mennonite-run Haiti auction held this past Friday-Saturday in Penn Yann, NY. Â This is in Yates County in the “Finger Lakes” region of west-central New York. The…
Can you be Amish, and also a gay person? A reader writes: I am sure there must be some Amish kids that are gay. I wonder how their parents and church handle this, as well as how the gay kids deal with it. Any idea where I might find this info? The short answer is that Amish view homosexual behavior as a sin. And like…