Genealogy

Notes from the recent Lancaster trip, part two: Normally I drive an old, wheezing-but-somehow-still running red truck.  It’s got, let’s see, around 275,000 miles?  But like an old faithful dog or a worn-but-still-comfy-recliner, we’ve been through a lot together, and it’s just hard to get rid of it.  Abe calls it ‘the squeaky truck’ in […]

Continue Reading Lancaster Happenings, part two

‘Hershberger’ is an Amish family name particularly common in Midwestern communities.  It is also found in other spelling variations, such as ‘Herschberger’ and occasionally ‘Harshberger’.  The following is a short history of the name from Family Life: “This is a Swiss name and may have originally meant, “one who lives on Deer Mountain”.  The Hershberger […]

Continue Reading History of Amish names: Hershberger

Thanks to substantial genealogical records, many Amish can trace their lineage back to the 1700's and 1800's, when significant waves of Amish immigration to North America occurred.  One of the most common Amish names is Stoltzfus, found predominantly in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and its offshoot settlements.  The short-version history of the Stoltzfus name, courtesy of […]

Continue Reading History of Amish names: Stoltzfus

Millers, Yoders, Schrocks, Stoltzfuses.  These names are a dime a dozen in Amish America. Meet enough Amish people, and once in a while you’ll come across an unusual name, one that may sound non-Germanic or even a Germanic-sounding name that is simply uncommon. The Amish have welcomed a fair share of converts to the faith […]

Continue Reading Unusual Amish names

If you knock on a random door in any of a number of Amish communities across the country, there’s a decent chance the home might contain a set of books called the Family Bible Library. Originally published in 1971, it is a perennial hit among the Amish, who appreciate the vivid illustrations, easy-to-understand text, and […]

Continue Reading Family Time

Siss im blut is PA Dutch for ‘it’s in the blood’.  It’s often given as a reason when Amish and Mennonites talk about genetic problems in their midst. Amish and Mennonites have taken a practical approach to an unfortunate situation:  a cramped gene pool causing numerous genetic disorders, often popping up with a frequency unseen […]

Continue Reading Genetic conditions among Amish

I just picked up my 2002 Indiana Amish Directory for Elkhart, Lagrange, and Noble Counties, and flipped to a random page. Here are the last names of the Amish in the 40 households in the district I landed on, in order:   Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontrager, Bontreger, Bontreger, Eash, Gingerich, Hochstedler, Hostetler, Jones, […]

Continue Reading The Amish church directory