Not a lot of information to this article, but I think it’s worth passing along anyway. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, two Amish families from Ontario recently spent time searching for a new home on Canada’s Prince Edward Island: Anthony Wallbank is a friend of several members of Ontario’s Amish community, and drove some of them to the Island to look at farm properties….
On a recent “Name that Amish community” post, the question came up of Amish living in British Columbia, Canada. In fact, no Amish live in British Columbia, though other Anabaptist peoples, including Old Colony Mennonites and Vietnamese Mennonites, live in the province (see Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites). Â Today, Amish in Canada live only in Ontario, in over a dozen settlements. That…
Ira Wagler grew up Amish in Canada and Iowa. Â He has written a memoir called Growing Up Amish. Â It’s not out until July, but I enjoyed reading the first two chapters, which Ira has shared on his website. Â In the excerpt below, he describes Amish visitors to his childhood community of Aylmer in Ontario: They came from all over: from the small communities dotted about…
Plain publications help Amish maintain ties and promote Old Order Christian values Amish produce a number of newspapers, books, and other publications. Following is ordering information for three Amish resources: Family Life-a general-interest magazine from Pathway Publishers in Ontario The Budget-Sugarcreek, Ohio newspaper which covers both local news, and produces a “national edition” with letters from Amish scribes Raber’s Bookstore-an Ohio Amish-owned bookstore that carries…
A reader in Canada has shared some photos and background on the small settlement located near the village of Springford in Ontario. The community consists of 4 church districts and was founded in 1954. It is apparently quite conservative, using outhouses and open-front buggies and oil lamps for lighting, and blankets used to keep warm in winter. One particular point of interest in this community,…
I like to check in at Ira Wagler’s blog from time to time. Always nice writing. Ira grew up Amish in Canada and Iowa, and thus can offer a viewpoint that non-Amish people, like yours truly, cannot. In a recent post, Ira shares his personal take on Rumspringa. He comes out against some popular perceptions of the ‘running around’ time and explains how it plays…
Ira Wagler, who grew up Amish in Aylmer, Ontario, explains in a humorous and informative post the ins and outs of Sunday singing in Amish church. An excerpt about tthe second song sung at all Amish church services: Years ago, before my time, in Aylmer, a stranger attended church one Sunday. At Nicky Stoltzfus, the preacher’s place. The stranger was from a very conservative, backwards…
Amish folks, like the rest of us, enjoy hearing the odd bit of trivia or unusual fact. Hence, three tidbits of Amish trivia, taken from Brad Igou’s compilation The Amish in their Own Words: 1.  Quilts. The Amish are well known for their proficiency in the quilting realm. Some of their pieces fetch upwards of $1000. The average quilt takes around 250-350 yards of thread. …
The Amish settlement at Piketon, Ohio was an odd one to begin with. A few things made the Amish who settled here in 1949 different from most. One was their evangelistic emphasis. Amish traditionally do not try to convert others. Piketon, Ohio was begun by a minister sympathetic to the idea of spreading Amish beliefs. Secondly, they were the first Amish congregation ever to publish…
Amish children are slimmer as well. Compared to modern America, it’s not even close. This study (no longer online) follows a previous look into the exercise habits of adult Amish in Canada. We tend to pass our habits and lifestyle on to our kids. Hopefully we’re teaching them habits worth having.