Statewide County OhArchives News.....Tid-Bits - Part 115A: The Plain People - The Amish. May 25, 2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/ohfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 May 27, 2008, 3:37 pm Historical Collections Of Ohio, And Then They Went West, Know Your Ohio May 10, 2008 May 25, 2008 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 May 25, 2008 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid-bits - Part 115 A The Plain People - The Amish. by Darlene E. Kelley ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid-Bits - part 115 A The Plain People The Amish The Amish are a Christian religious group that traces its origins back to the Swiss Anabaptists. In the 1600s, the Swiss Anabaptists were persecuted for their refusal to follow state/church requirement on baptism. They practiced adult baptism, not the required infant baptism. To the Anabaptist, baptism is a voluntary and conscious choice which infants can not make. The word Anabaptist means twice baptized because the origional members were baptized because the origional members were baptized as infants and again as adults and they felt they were martyred. The Amish remember these martyrs in their prayers and religious services. In 1690, some Alsace-Anabaptists broke off from the Swiss Anabaptists ( now called Mennonites ) and under Jacob Amman's direction, started following a stricter religious discipline. This group are known as Amish. To avoid persecution, the Amish migrated to North America in the 1700s and 1800s, settling in small communities. Today, there are no Amish living in Europe. About 70 percent of the U.S. Amish live in three states-- Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. The Holmes/Wayne County, Ohio settlement is the largest; followed by Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Elkhart/LaGrange County, Indiana; and Geauga County, Ohio. Ohio has the largest Amish population in the world. There are numerous smaller Amish Communities scattered throughout Ohio and the Midwest. The Amish have large families ( an average of 7 to 10 children ) and a high member retention ( about 80 percent ), so each decade of the Amish has increased by 30 to 48 percent. In America, the Amish hold major doctrines in common, but as the years have passed, their practice differed. Today, there are a number of different groups of Amish with the majority affiliated with four orders; Swartzen- gruber; Old Order; Andy Weaver; and New Order Amish. Old Order Amish are the most common in Ohio. All the groups operate independently from each other with variations in how they practice their religion and religion dictates how they conduct their daily lives. The Swartz- gruber Amish are the most conservative followed by the Old Order Amish. The Andy Weaver are progressive and the New Order Amish are the most progressive. The Old Order Amish ( Early Ohio Amish ) observe about fifteen different doctrines. The most important religious doctrine is obedience and yielding to God, the church, and others. The values that they strive for are submission to a higher authority, humility, thrift, and simplicity. Yielding is reflected in the way the Amish conduct themselves. Parents teach their children to be obedient and repectful and to yield to the larger purposes of the family and to their Amish community. The emphasis is on personal responsibility, not individual rights. Gentleness and peace are valued over violence and aggression. The Amish are pacifists and do not serve in the military. Pride, especially in one's self or in one's accomplishments, is frowned upon. Amish have an aversion not to be photographed because that might be considered prideful. The second major doctrine is separation from the outside world. Separation provides members with a strong sense of identity and a feeling of place in their community. Separation from the outside world is important in maintaining loyality of the Amish community to each other. Since there is " evil " and " sinners " in the outside world, they try to protect their membership by separating themselves from the outside world. To maintain separation, the Amish reject many modern conveniences, luxuries, and selectively use modern technology. To keep the community together and their lves simple Amish leaders, decided to outlaw automobiles and use horses for farmwork and transportation. They dress and live differently to help maintain this separation. Thus, Amish church doctrine guides them in all aspects of their daily lives. Have you ever wondered why the Amish never change ? It is because they believe that traditions bind generations together and provide an anchor to their past. Traditions and religious rituals center on church worship services, adult baptism, communion, weddings, and funerals. The Amish church is organized into church districts. Each congregation is comprised of 25 to 35 families living in a specific geographical area within a settlement. Each church district has a Bishop who is head of the district along with several Ministers and Deacons. The Ministers and Deacons assist the Bishop in monitoring and interpreting church doctrine and in solving disputes. Church districts are split when the communities grow larger than 30 to 35 familes. Preaching services are held every other Sunday in the home of a family within the church district and followed usually by a common meal and visiting. Sundays with church service are greatly and are a cause for a flurry of preparation and celebration. Sundays without local church service are observed by resting at home, attending a neighboring church, and visiting friends or relatives. Only the necessary chores are performed. Memebership in the Amish Church is attained when a young adult ( 16 to 24 ) receives instruction and baptized. Joining the church means total commitment to the Amish Church commuity and its doctrine and practices. No one can be married in the Amish faith without first being baptized into the faith. Amish members can be " shunned " for leaving the church or for not following church practices. The threat of shunning helps to keep te Amish church members from straying too far from church doctrine and keeps the community together. The " Ordnung " is a set of oral rules that Amish use for living. Practices/Ordnung may vary among different church districts due to the differences in literal interpre- tation of the Bible and church doctrine in each church district. As a result, each group of Amish do things differently. Old Order Amish are very conservative and do all their farm work with horses and without modern technology such as telephone in their homes, electrical equipment or even bicycles. They use kerosene lamps for lights, steel wheels on their farm equipment, and milk their cows by hand. New Order Amish are more progressive and use telephones in their homes, pneumatic ( air ) operated equipment, electrical generators, bicycles, and gas pressured lights. Rubber tires, milking machines and milk bulk tanks are allowed by the New Order Amish as well as a skid steer loaders for moving manure and feed on the farm. Limited use of modern technology is allowed, but they still require their Amish members to use horses for farm field work and transportation. The non-Amish or English poeple often wonder why the Ohio Amish are not allowed to own telephone or automobiles. or even to use their English neighbor's appliances. The answer is simple, as the Amish church believes that the restriction on owning modern technologies like telephones and cars keep their community intact and somewhat separate from the rest of the world. Modern technology is considered worldly and not a necessity. However, members, are allowed to use these luxuries, but not to own them. The Amish complete their education at the eighth grade. Ohio Amish children attend school in a one or two room private school houses with an Amish teacher who has an eighth grade education. The practical skills of spelling, English, Pennsylvania Dutch ( German ), math and geography, are taught in the schools Some basic science about animals, stars, planets, and health may be taught, Reigion is not taught as a subject but is a very important part of educating children on what is acceptable behavior. At home, young children first learn to speak Pennsylvania Dutch and then to speak and read english when they enter the first grade. After young people complete their schooling, they work either on or off the farm learning a trade. Boys follow in the footsteps of their fathers, uncles, and grandfathers, preferably learning the traditions of farming and/or skills such as woodworking, carpentry, harness making, building carriages, horse training or shoeing horses. Some Amish travel to the city or other areas to work in carpentry and construction. Girls learn homemaking skills from their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, and acquire business skills to help with family business. If a wage is made, the paycheck is commonly given to the father for the family or saved for marriage. Work is looked on as a good and meaningful way to build character in children and young adults, A great deal of work is done in small groups, which turns into celebration. Cooking a meal together, building a barn, shucking of husking corn, making firewood or making a quilt are practical and enjoyable hands-on experiences. Working to gether also builds acceptance and strengthens the Amish community. As young adults, both boys and girls are allowed to sow some wild oats and experience how their english neighbors live before they are required to settle down and lead exemplary Amish lives. Amish men are considered the head of the household, but women are respected for their opinions and some decisions are deferred to them. Family roles are defined at an early age. Children are nurtured by all members of the family and create bonds with all their numerous relatives. The majority of the Amish live in homes with at least six or more family members. As family members age, it is common for grandparents to move to an adjacent home often attached to the main house called the dawdy house. Family members care for the elderly when they are unable to take care of themselves. The elderly are well respected and considered important givers of advice. The elders are the ones who keep the Amish traditions, rituals, and pracices alive. It is important to understand the differences and the limitations their cultures place on them. The Old Order Amish are conservative and farming is their primary income. Farm size is typically 80 to 120 acres with corn, small grains, and forages raised as crops. Dairy and swine are major livestock enterprises. New Order Amsh are more progressive and untilize select modern equipment. Farming is a primary source of income for about 90 percent of the Old Order Amish while only one-third of the New Order Amish farm. Amish traditions and practices evolve over time. As modernization takes place, they slowly change and negotiate to what degree they will accept and utilize technology and other practices of the outside world. This culture compromise has allowed the Amish to remain a distinct religious group, yet survive and even thrive economically. Their traditions still live within the State of Ohio. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Continued in Tid-bits - 115 B. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/statewide/newspapers/tidbitsp118nw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ohfiles/ File size: 11.9 Kb