The Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities

The Dawdyhaus

Claire Marie Mensack — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative case study of two Amish families, one from Delaware and one from Pennsylvania, offers a glimpse of life in the Dawdyhaus, the residence of Amish grandparents after they become what mainstream society calls “empty nesters.” Many older folks in mainstream society live in long-term care facilities that may be adequate for their basic needs, yet in many cases are far away from family members. The loss of family-based psychosocial support can have negative effects on the well-being of these individuals.

In collectivist cultures such as the Amish and other Plain Anabaptist communities, the good of the community is the focus, and the family is viewed as a microcosm of that larger collectivist culture. In these communities, members often remain in the home in which they raised their children or move into a small dwelling—nearby or attached to the main, larger dwelling, which is occupied by the family of one of their adult children—as they age. This small dwelling is known as the Dawdyhaus. The desire of aging family members to move into a Dawdyhaus and the assumption of greater household responsibilities by adult children is not forced; it is accompanied by a yielding, a submission, and a grace. Among the Amish and other Plain Anabaptist communities, this sense of yielding is referred to as Gelassenheit. This article posits the Dawdyhaus not as a noun referring to a space but as a verb in terms of daily living.

This study adopted a “go-along” method of inquiry to gain insights into the experiences of older family members living in Dawdyhauses (Alexander et al., 2020; Carpiano, 2009; Kusenbach, 2003).

Weaponizing Amish Country Tourism: An Update on Selling the Amish

Susan L. Trollinger — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The 2012 book Selling the Amish: The Tourism of Nostalgia investigated what is it about Amish Country tourism that visitors find compelling when what they encounter in tourist towns seems, on the face of it, so contrary to the plain and simple life of the Amish. This article briefly summarizes the original findings of that study and then provides a research update, highlighting some surprising developments in the merchandising of Amish-themed tourism venues, not just in Ohio but also in Indiana and Pennsylvania. While American flags were certainly common in the three tourist towns described in Selling the Amish, merchandise now promoting guns and gun violence is new. The research update suggests further inquiry and theorizing on links between tourism and Christian nationalism is warranted.

Mennonite Life Library & Archives

Julia Wiker — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No abstract available.

Vaccination Risk Through the Lens of Faith, Family, and Community

Rachel E. Stein, Katie E. Corcoran, Corey Colyer — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Reasons for vaccine hesitancy, refusal, and acceptance within the Amish and Old Order Mennonite populations reflect the views of the larger society, often citing risks or protective factors as motivating behavior. We use the open-ended comments from a survey of Amish and Old Order Mennonite parents in the Holmes County, Ohio, settlement to explore views on vaccination decisions. We find the Amish and Mennonite respondents talk about vaccine risks and benefits through a moral worldview lens of faith, family, and community. We note the values of the Amish and Old Order Mennonites do not motivate behavior uniformly across all respondents. The findings have important implications for how health care workers provide information and care to people in the Amish community.

Migration to Wisconsin’s Amish Settlements

John A. Cross — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The inclusion of information regarding moves of households within the most recently published Amish directory for Wisconsin facilitates the study of migration of Amish households to specific settlements. This paper notes that while certain settlements have attracted newcomers from a wide variety of locations, others are dominated by those coming from a small number of settlements. Many of the settlements have attracted households making long distance moves. Individuals leaving settlements in the process of extinction have accounted for a large share of newcomers in some settlements, but none in others. Religious affiliation appears to be a key determinant influencing the choice of receiving settlements, displayed by comparing the spatial patterns of migration to pairs of settlements.

Total Fertility and Interbirth Intervals Among Selected Swiss Amish Communities

Joseph F. Donnermeyer — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Recent demographic studies of the Amish consistently find that their families remain large, yet there is variation, especially when comparing fertility and other population characteristics across different affiliations. This article explores the Swiss Amish, a group for which demographic studies are practically non-existent. Based on data from the four largest Swiss Amish communities, both total fertility and birth intervals are examined. Recommendations for additional research of Swiss Amish population characteristics are discussed.

Amish Men Live Longer

Henry Troyer — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines differences in the longevity of Amish men compared to the men within the general population of the United States. Data for this analysis comes from the 1965 Ohio Amish directory, specifically the birth and death dates of men from the Holmes County settlement. Amish men’s longevity is compared with the white men of Ohio based on life tables published online by the Social Security Administration. Amish men live an average of five years longer than white men of Ohio, and Amish farmers outlive Amish non-farmers. When the findings are considered with published research on Amish work practices, we concluded that the remarkable longevity of Amish men might be attributed to their exceptional level of physical activity.

Front Matter

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No abstract available.

Editors' Introduction

Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Steven M. Nolt — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No abstract available.

Book Review: James Cates, Dancing on the Devil's Playground: The Amish Negotiate with Modernity

Corey Colyer — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No abstract available.

Book Review: Astrid von Schlachta, "Holding Fast to What is Good?" Tradition and Renewal in Hutterite History, by Astrid von Schlachta

Rod Janzen — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No abstract available.