The Amish Society

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If you have ever traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Indiana then you may have noticed a horse drawn buggy or two. If you aren't familiar with this sight it may be a bit confusing. The mysterious people that you see behind the reigns of these horses appear almost Pilgrim like. However, these are no Pilgrims. These individuals are part of a religious sect known as the Amish. The Amish are descendants of sixteenth century Anabaptists who resided in Europe. The Anabaptists were a group of people who rejected the reforms of Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation. During the early development of the Amish they were actually known as Mennonites because of their Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons. With Simons leading this group they left Europe for Switzerland in order to avoid religious persecution. The Amish didn't get the name Amish until the 1600's. It was then that a very strict group of Mennonites led by Jakob Amman broke away from the Mennonites due to differencing opinions on certain practices. One of the major issues was the way disobedient members were handled. The strict group wanted them to be excommunicated while the others were more lax. The defunct group later took the name Amish.

It wasn't until the 1730's that the Amish began arriving in America. They initially settled close to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. They originally chose this area due to William Penn and his 'holy experiment' in religious tolerance. However, contrary to popular belief the largest settlement of Amish today is not in Pennsylvania. It is actually in Holmes and surrounding counties in northeast Ohio. The Amish population has reached over 260,000 and is spread out over 27 states and 3 countries. The most concentrated groups are located in the Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania areas.

Here is a list of the top five Amish settlements as of October 27, 2009 according to Amish America

Holmes County, Ohio

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Elkhart/Lagrange Counties, Indiana

Geauga County, Ohio

Adams County, Indiana

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