amish

Question about the Amish.My understanding is they are hard working people and don't use the modern conviences that most of us are used to.How about eletricty,do they have any generators ,or use it at all? also how about computers,Iwould assume they don't use them,but if so do they ever get online at YTMAG.anyone know????

The Amish are not all the same; different groups have different rules. One large Amish group near me moved here from the state of Maryland. A few of their rules.

They don't allow any equipment with rubber tires.
I went over and bought a rubber-tired backhoe from one of them. The family, in turn, went out and bought a John Deere crawler (steel tracks allowed).

They pulled all the electric motors out of the dairy barn - and installed hydraulic motors - all powered by a large diesel engine and pump.

They moved the phone out of the house and put it in the barn.

Note, that although they don't own vehicles or equipment with rubber tires, they have no problem catching a ride in someone else's car or truck.

when i was building houses in ohio i had two of them lay the brick for me.... man they were the hardest working men....

but they wouldnt even look at my wife in the drivers seat and they would ask her to turn the radio off....

but the ones in ohio have no cars, electric, phones, they basically are living like everyone lived in the seventeenth century... oh wait i think the one little group has an electric saw mill or something like that. but that is the most technology they have.

another group farther north of where i lived had no futuristic technology other than a very nicely restored fordson (on steel) with a two bottom plow.

Like jdemaris said, the rules vary from group to group. If I recall right, there's three major divisions right under the heading of Amish who have major differences between them...but it goes right down to the "Bishop" in each church who has the final say on what's allowed or not.

Anyway, years ago I was on a board that had an Amish Firefighter (volunteer) in his early 20s who would post from time to time. He worked as a draftsmen for a non-Amish owned lumberyard, which is where he had access to the computer.

The Amish here in central Mi. can have rubber tires that are bolted to the steel wheels--no tires with air.

The Amish in Lancaster county used propane to heat with, light the house, and they had propane powered refrigerators. I may have natural gas and propane confused, but you get the idea. One woodworking shop was using air powered tools to make their tourist items, even had a air powered cooking fan. I followed the air line back to a gasoline powered air compressor.

They had gasoline powered bay balers on steel wheels. Corn crop was clean, no weeds, and after asking around I found that they used normal weed control chemicals applied with some sort of horse drawn sprayer. Some tractors with FEL on steel wheels.

KEH

My barn was built by Amish guys from Pa. They built the 1 st floor in 4 sections and had the sections trailered in by an "english" (non- amish ), and had another truck of materials trailered in by an "english" as well to build the hayloft. Then they came down in a van driven by non-amish. They used gas compressors, generators and air/ electric tools, ate from 7-11, etc. The only difference I could really determine was 1) the beards, 2) clothes and straw hats, 3) none of 'em drove. Their workmanship standards were VERY high, and the materials top knotch- and I couldn't have touched this barn locally for the same price.

The Amish I have heard of south-west of Sheboygan, WI cannot drive tractors but can hitch a team to a wagon with a power unit on it which powers/pulls a chopper or baler. Not sure about the tire thing as I have not witnessed this myself.

An article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal a few years ago showed an Amish bakery. No electicity but they had a small gas engine mounted above a big mixer and the exhaust was piped out the wall. Amish pies are the best I've ever had!

Like jdmeris said they won't drive but will take rides almost anytime. A while back there was some contraversial conversation posted here regarding "chauffers" for the Amish and how much they could charge, insurance and tax exemptions.

Good Day,
Dollar Bill

yeah, the phone thing is kind of hilarious. My brother lives in Leonardtown, Md which has quite an Amish population. No phone in the houses- but they have a pay phone booth at the end of every driveway.
Maybe the only payphones still on the planet!

Sometimes I kinda envy them. Seems like thay work hard, but are very relaxed. I work hard also, but my life is stressful, and compared to others my life is easy. It also seems like the crop of fillies they raise are always awful pretty. Used to bug the brother in law to move to Amish community and find himself a nice gal, and a new family. He didnt listen.

We live in Western Montana and have Amish neighbors. They operate a big sawmill with electricity and some drive cars IF the local leader gives them permisission. I see them operating all kinds of gas and diesel powered equipment around the mill and some have a fence building business that use skid steer equipment.

I believe they are stereotyped and most folks think they do everything with teams of horses and they are all fine craftsman, etc. They are nice folks and good neighbors and just normal human beings from what I can see. They tend to stick together and that"s understandable. Some are fine craftsman and some can"t drive a nail straight. I don"t mean this in any way to be derogatory. It"s just what I see on a daily basis.

I sure like to hear the clip clop of the horse when they go to services on Sunday.

There's a lot of Amish family's in Lancaster county PA. They keep their farms looking like a showplace. They've had to make some changes so they can ship milk. Had to quit using springhouses for cooling milk. They have a generator to power their milk coolers and for their milkers. No power to the house. They're excellent craftsman too. A friend of mine had to have buggy wheels redone by them. He use to haul newly weds from the church to where the wedding reception was held in his buggy and a team of horses. He's in his 90's now and is in a nursing home. Here's some pics of the Amish at work. Hal

Its all very strange. My dad was heavily into buggies, harnesses, and all things draft-horsey. He did business with several Amish makers of wagon wheels, spokes, steel wagon-tires, etc., and when he was in Pennsylvania, he visited them and formed some friendships (which was not surprising- Dad could have been fast friends with Leona Helmsley, if you gave him 10 minutes). One of his Amish friends contacted him, and said his wife and a friend were going to be travelling to Dad's area (Washington state, a long ways from Lancaster PA), and could they come and visit? Dad said great, and, assuming they would be using public transportation, said have them contact me when they get to this area, and I will come and get them. Imagine his surprise when these two Amish ladies drove into his yard in a van. Turns out that they could have one "trip of a lifetime", but could not use autos routinely in their lives. Go figure. He put them up for nearly a week, driving them around on all kinds of tours (they were fine with using the rented van, but insisted he drive- he came to the conclusion that they could drive on this trip "if they had to", but not if there was any alternative). As my soul-mates from the '60's would say, "What does it all mean?"

They don't pay taxes or contribute much to society,yet injoy the freedoms here,are protected by or laws,use our highways and get almost free health care.i won't get into thatmarrying there cousin thing and the problems that causes.

My property is in the middle of an Amish Settlement. The Amish in my area do not use rubber tires on any of their machinery. They also do not use electric but power their machinery with gas engines mounted on steel wheels and diesel engines power some of the mills and shops.

Yes, they do utilize the neighbors to drive them to town and to out of town events like weddings and funerals. They even have a "community phone" that is available at one of the "English" neighbors. They bank at the local bank, have checkbooks, savings accounts, etc.

Most of the Amish I know are honest, hard working people who just want to do their own thing with little or no interference from "outsiders". Some of the Amish I know are just the opposite.

Here is a link to some info that may surprise some of you concerning a popular myth about the Amish and taxes. There are a lot of people that have wrong perceptions of who and what the Amish are.

I have read some books about their culture to try to understand them as best I can. For the most part, I consider them to be good neighbors.

The article that I linked below addresses one of the biggest misperceptions of the Amish. Unfortunately, even when faced with the facts, some people will continue to believe what they believe even when they know these beliefs are not true.

Tim
Myths about Amish and Taxes

The different orders have different rules, and there will still be variations in the local communities.

I remember drivin' out around Middlefield, OH, one day, and I see an Amish girl way up ahead, swingin' away mightily in the ditch. I figured she was swingin' a scythe from the way she was movin'. Get up closer and she's swingin' a weed whacker.

Same neighborhood, came across a fella with a nice team puliin a baler powered with what looked like a Honda engine. Not sure how he had that rigged up.

Another time some years back, goin' up I81, I stopped at a rest area just inside PA. Was comin out of the buildin' and here comes this old Amish fella. How'd he get here, I wondered. Then I see a Ford Crown Vic, black with all the chrome painted over and a young Amish fella under the wheel. I learned later that some communities were losin' so many young folks that they opened up a window, for the boys, at least, that would allow them certain liberties (cars, for example, but no chrome!) for a set number of years (like from age 17 to 21, someting like that) at the end of which they had to make a choice to stay or leave.

I remember traveling through Shipshewana, Indiana many years ago. That was my first time through Amish country, I was fascinated by their life style. Also how well they kept there places up. The most amazing sight to me was to see an 856 IH Farmall on all steel, it was an odd sight to see for this Kansas grown farm kid. We traveled back roads all the way to Indianapolis just to see the sights.

We live next to a Mennonite community, which is an offshoot of the Amish. The Mennonites are more abundant and live mostly like the rest of us, except among the "old school" ones, the women still wear skirts, and no makeup or jewelry.

When I was a teenager, more years ago than I like to admit to, we intermingled socially with the Minnonite kids occasionally. There was one girl in particular who ran around with us frequently. Short shorts were totally outlawed by both her parents and by the order, so---in the summer she'd put a skirt on over shorts and when she was in the car and out of sight of her house she pulled the skirt off. Then, put the skirt back on before she went home.

I guess us humans are addicted to creative thinking no matter who, when, or where.

Amish is a religon I wonder if they pay more attention to the bishop or to the Bible I have never seen their practices outlined in the Bible and would like to know where they come up with some of it

there are amish in western ky. also. the ones here do not drive autos but some own tractors. they will leave a hay baler stationary in the field and bring hay to it. there is a community about 30-35 miles from my home there is a general store ,school,furniture shop,harness shop,butcher shop,not sure what else i have had deer processed at butcher always a good job they run the coolers by large generators and have gas lighting in the home also seems most here heat with wood i had some along with mennonites build my pole barn no complaints .the mennonites are here too i know them a little better friends with one of their preachers have discussed Bible several times,we differ on some points but in a good natured way on the points that really count we are not that different what impresses me is they have a sense of humor and enjoy hearing and using witty sayings or plays on words

Back in 1966 I was in the Air Force and we had a Amish fellow in the same barracks as I was. He did his job just like anyone else. I asked him if he wouldn't have qualified as a conscientious objector. He felt it was his duty to serve his country. Had to applaud his decision.

Lots of amish in Parke County In. now, my nephew who lives near some says they don't like the modern things, but if you pick one up walking down the road on a hot day he will roll up his window and wait for the air conditioner to be turned on. lol

Good ones and bad ones. Four concessions away the neighbor was loosing hogs. Set up a video camera and nabbed the local Amish helping them selves.
My cousin can"t keep hand tools around his place since the latest batch of Amish moved into the area.
The local Bishop here doesn"t allow rubber wheels or enclosures on buggies. They look awful cold huddled behind an umbrella in a winter blizzard. They do use a gas engine for pumping water & cutting wood. They can use electricity up to 12V. I was surprised to see the younger folk, the girls in particular wearing sunglasses. And riding bareback on a workhorse through town. Part of that clan has a small engine shop and installs standby power systems for the "english". I bought a 1970"s East Indian clone of a Petter PH1W engine from the guy. I knew it was tired but it was the classic example of tinkeritious. It was a mixture of unmatched parts from several engine"s injection systems. The valves had been re-ground to a razor edge. The coolant passages were plugged solid with scale & "stopleak". They must have ran it for about 20 minutes a go until it became smoking hot.
According to two local police officers I used to hunt deer with. The Amish were hiring local "english" for stud duty to deepen the gene pool. It was too troublesome a topic for the Crown to prosecute so they just turn a blind eye.
Other Bishops in the area allow rubber tires on the wagons and enclosed buggies/wagons for protection from the weather.
Diesel engines remain the power source of choice even though we live in one of the windiest parts of the world.
I was always going to ask the Bishop about how the Almighty provides wind power directly to his people. Yet his people choose to purchase diesel from Arabs which becomes blood money used to kill Christians & Jews.

Guess it all depends on the elders or Bishops. I've lived amongst and around the Amish all of my life. I've seen buggies with rubber tires. On one side of the road I've seen electricity and non-enclosed buggies that required umbrellas during bad weather, and on the other side of the road enclosed buggies and no electricity. I nearly bought a farm from the Amish where the house and barn had electricity and air conditioning (house) but they weren't allowed to use it. They used oil lamps and a LP gas powered refridgerator, and had indoor plumbing all AG hose and valves, but weren't allowed to use that either. I've seen Amish with cellphones, and Amish that wait down by the phone booth for incoming calls. I've seen Cletracs out in some fields, horses in others. A guy I know gave an Elder, a Bishop a free Poulan chainsaw so that he could sell them to others. I once bidded on a farm through a family estate sale and went up against a young Amish couple with a new baby. Now, when the Amish bankers showed up, they had the most peculiar buggy I've ever seen. It was their version of a stretch limo. It had 4 bench seats, and eight of them old fellas climbed out with tape measures and sliding rulars to figure how much they were going to finance. I have a cousin that was born and raised Catholic, but married an Amish guy and went from all of the ameneties that we take for granted to oil lamps, no electricity, radio, TV, nothing. And since he married her, a non-Amish, or Amish convert, or however they figured it, during the big Sunday dinners they and their children aren't allowed to sit with the others, they sit and eat in another room. During the late '70's when cruising the main drag got big on weekends nights, I used to see the young single Amish ladies get brought into town, they'd go into McDonalds bathrooms and change out of their Amish garb into flashy jeans and tops, then get picked up by guys in their Camaros, Mustangs, GTOs and stuff and cruise the main drag while their brothers that drove them into town would be over on Second St. drag racing the two seaters or family buggies and tearing them horses up. I've seen chevy pickups in the drive parked next to the buggies. Seen vinyl siding on houses with no electricity. I've pretty much seen it all with them Amish. I don't have a problem with them, never have persay, but my brother sure hates them. I'll say this for them, they pretty much keep to themselves, won't turn down a ride, don't use deoderant, and them animals are beasts of burden...no more, no less. Them horses are tools and life for them horses are rough. You don't want to buy a horse from them Amish because its through and ready for the glue pot.

Personally, I aint got no problems with my Amish neighbors, and like someone else said, there are good and there are bad. I haven't run into a bad one yet, not personally. They sit out on the porch on Sundays and wave at me as I drive by, I wave back. And they will give you a days work for a days pay. They came over and put new windows in my mother's house, custom made on the spot. They built one of my barns too. Good quality work.

I dated a Mennonite gal a handful of years older than me for a while, which has its own sects and aren't as strict as them Amish. She wasn't anything like her brother, sister or parents. They were quiet and reserved, and around them so was she. But away from them...woo hoo, and as a young single buck, I sure didn't mind. Her parents wouldn't have approved, but I wasn't going to tell them. She sure was fun and taught me plenty for which I'll always be grateful. Woo Hoo, she was fun!!! Ken, thanks for the memory of that one. Grin.

Mark

the amish where i am from have some of the best lookn horse flesh i have seen and they are some of the healthiest animals around up there

The old-order Mennonites near me just approved hooking up to the power grid. (Their tractors have rubber tires and they can't have glass sides of the cabs.) Funny how that isn't a sin anymore when diesel prices for their generators get too high. Overall they are good folk and they make good neighbors. At least you know they won't slap up a bunch of houses right on top of you. Bottom line is that they are human just like me and we deal with all the same issues, my church just isn't as strict...

Leonardtown MD!
Now that is a name I have not heard in some time. I worked for the D.O.D. Complex some years ago and live in that area.

I truly enjoyed Southern MD. I know folks that still live in Hollywood, Piney Point, etc.

Thanks for the very, very fond memory!

Actually, the Amish are a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mennonites.

There are at least a dozen different versions of Mennonites around here, and a half dozen vatieties of Amish. They are not all the same. Depends on which Bishop they follow for the Amish. Mennonites use churches, and they vary greatly in how strictly they interpret the bible.

There are many Old Order Mennonite sects here that the tourists think are Amish. They don't know any better. They are actually very different, if you know what to look for. There are also Mennonites that you can not tell they are Mennonite unless you know what to look for. We call them Mennonite Lite.

Red Dave, a Lancaster County, PA native and life-long resident.

I think you covered best. Some good some bad. I like the two men I do business with.

Many many Amish places have several houses slapped up all around. They have to have some place to put all their kids.

Something I don"t like is how the Amish treat thier women the "Old World European Way".I"ve heard both Amish and Menonite women say" but I"m only a women".
I told the women that her husband wouldn"t have a thing if it wasn"t for her assistance in helping her husband and her hard work. She looked kind of surprised. Doubt if made any effect was made to her decades of "programming".

doubt you get a big input. But it all depends on the group and it's elders.

(quoted from post at 08:00:49 06/18/08) I"ve heard both Amish and Menonite women say" but I"m only a women".

Click to expand...

Wish my wife would say that sometimes.....................

Just kidding.
I've always had good experiences with the Amish. But I'm sure there are some winners among them as there are with us.

Dave

The local kid with the small engine/standbygenerator/heady duty diesel generator/lawnmower/snowblower shop. He has an office in the neighbour"s house.
Manufactures are no longer supporting parts and service manuals on micro-film or even in books. The Amish have to go online for info and to place orders.
If it comes down to making money or not. The Bishops may just have to allow use of some electricity and the internet.
Around here many of the Amish and Old Order Menonites rent most of the farm land out to cash croppers. Then run some sort of wood working, building, greenhouse, market garden, house cleaning, hired chore boy business etc.
My wife hired a teen Menonite girl that looked like Laura Ingles from "Little House on the Praire" when interviewed for a Nanny/housekeeper.
As most of her kind she was up early and was a hard worker.
Didn"t take long for the uniform to change to belly shirts etc and the girl going wild on weekends. No drivers license but she would drive her drunk boyfriend and his friends home from stripper bars.
When my preschooler developed a wide variety of swear words. It was way past the time for her to go.

Funny thing about "allowing" something new, they also decide to get rid of things as well. Like you said, around you just allowed hooking up to the grid, but a few years from now might turn around and disallow it as well. Such things happen, I've seen it happen. They've got their reasons.

Mark

my sister lives in ky. near the tn. line. the mennonites there are quite different than my area they wear store-bought clothes ,have cell phones,wear sunglasses and those sporting goods golf style hats some of their young folks have cars that are not black but dark colors (dark maroon,green ,blue) my nephew says some his age have those radios that go thump...thump... wonder what the elders think of that? another item i left out of my first post was in my area i know a young mennonite man who did not marry until he was 26 yrs. old he said the elders were against the marriage as he was too old and too set in his ways to live with a spouse. he did not heed their advise also here they refer to theirself as amish-mennonite