What is a typical “Amish” first name? Well the answer to that question, at least in some communities, seems to change – a lot – over time. Jim Halverson shares an interesting feature in Die Blatt, an Amish publication out of the large northern Indiana settlement. They’ve compiled and published the first names Amish parents gave their babies in 1983, 2003, and 2023. Looking at…
News is just coming out that police have made an arrest in the Rebekah Byler murder case. This comes five days after Rebekah’s body was discovered at home by her husband. From Yourerie.com: Spartansburg, Pa. (WJET/WFXP) — State police have announced the arrest of 52-year-old Shawn Cranston of Corry, PA in the killing of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler. Cranston is being charged with Criminal Homicide,…
After a heavy news week, I just wanted to leave you with a story which – while I’m not quite sure you can call it “good” news – it’s at the least a count-your-blessings type of story. There’s not a ton to this, but it’s been reported that an Amish family was able to escape a house fire in a community in upstate New York….
In this video (at bottom), Ben Riehl shares some of his story with us. We talk about his job, past work, and family. Then he answers some more questions, including on telephones, pizza, and the difference between Amish in northern and southern Lancaster County. There are also a couple of brief cameo appearances, by Ben’s wife Mary and son Jay Lester. We end with Ben’s…
I’m calling this “modern country” because it is a more progressive Amish home – with a lot of the notes and decor you’ll see in non-Amish rural homes. This is the type of home that some people will take a glance at and say “that’s not Amish” – but in fact it is. In other words, quite different from the last Amish home we looked…
Hate to have to share this awful news, but a shocking story has emerged in northwest Pennsylvania. A 23-year-old Amish woman named Rebekah Byler was found dead at home yesterday, in what police are presuming is a homicide. From fox8.com: CRAWFORD COUNTY, Penn. (WJET) – A murder investigation is underway at an Amish home in Crawford County, and Monday night state police asked for…
I recently sat down for an hour-long conversation with Marlene Lehman, who is a member of an Old Order Amish church in the Shipshewana, Indiana area. I really enjoyed speaking with Marlene as we talked about life in northern Indiana, how things have changed, tourist visitors, things she misses about the farming life, and what Marlene does to help run Plain & Simple magazine, along…
Remember the two Amish children who were killed by one of the twin sisters in Minnesota? It turns out here was another car-buggy crash – this one a hit-and-run – on the exact same road (Fillmore County Road 1). Like the identity-swapping Petersen sisters, the driver here has an extensive record, and simply shouldn’t be behind the wheel of any vehicle. Here’s what happened via…
A rather bizarre story has been making the rounds, from all the way over in Greece. A family has been discovered living in very basic conditions, and subsequently compared to the Amish in the media. But is that a good comparison? From Greek Reporter: Police recently arrested the father of a family living an “early Christian” community lifestyle in a basic hut on the Peloponnese…
I know AI content is showing up everywhere now. I’ve seen it used for some Amish-related content already. But this is the first time I’ve seen artificial intelligence illustrating an Amish buggy crash. First, the more serious part of this story, the actual crash (via KTTN). Sadly, it is another bad-sounding buggy accident, this one in Missouri: The collision happened when the Ford Escape…