Swartzentruber Amish

The Swartzentruber Amish are an Old Order Amish sect that formed as the result of a division that occurred among the Holmes County, Ohio, Amish in 1917. The bishop who broke away was Sam E. Yoder. The Swartzentruber name was applied later, named after bishop Samuel Swartzentruber who succeeded him. There are five districts of Swartzentruber in Holmes County and Wayne County, where the subgroup originated. Now there are groups of Swartzentruber Amish settled in 15 other states, with the largest group in the U.S. located in Wisconsin's Bluff Country.

Swartzentruber Amish use reflective tape on the back of their buggies, in place of bright triangular slow moving signs for road travel, which they regard as too worldly. These buggies will also sport lanterns, rather than battery-operated lights, or reflectors. [Citation
last = Mackall
first = Joe
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publication-date = June 15, 2007
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title = Plain Secrets: An outsider among the Amish
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publisher = Beacon Press
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isbn = 978-0807010648
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accessdate =] There have been several court cases across the country where the state and county challenged the local Swartzentruber group to use the regulation orange triangle. So far, even as far as the federal supreme court, the Amish have prevailed, although statistics suggest that in areas where these groups exist, accidents involving buggies are more prevalent.

Like some other Old Order groups, they avoid the use of electricity and indoor plumbing. Swartzentruber Amish speak Pennsylvania German, and are considered a subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry with more liberal Old Order Amish.

Other Old Order groups who pride themselves on beauty and neatness of their properties, point to the unkempt farms and front yards of the Swarzentruber. It is suggested that the Swartzentrubers see this interest in appearance as too worldly. Their farms can be identified by dirt drives and surrounding roads, while most roads of the Old Order contain either gravel or paving to keep out the mud. The houses and outbuildings of the Swartzentruber often sport tin roofs. The clothing differs from that of the other Old Order Amish is subtle ways: all colors are dark and somber rather than the bright blues and mauves; more common is navy, dark burgundy, and even gray. Men frequently wear a single suspender to avoid what is seen as the pride of two. The dresses of the women, rather than reaching mid-calf, usually reach to the top of the shoes. The tack on the horses and buggies is often all black, rather than brown leather.

Swartzentruber is a Mennonite and Amish surname of Swiss origin, coming from the Trub river valley, located approximately midway between Bern and Lucerne. It has been thought to mean "seller of black grapes". [Swartzentruber, Elmer G and N. van der Zijpp. "Swartzendruber (Swartzentruber, Swartzendrover Swartzendruver, Schwartzentruber, Schwartzendruber, Schwarzentruber, Schwarzentruver, Schwarztrauber, Schwarzentraub)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 January 2007 [http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/s933me.html] ] Other English spellings of the name include Swartzendruber, Schwartzendruber, Schwarzentruber, and Schwarztrauber.

References

External links

* [http://www.mcusa-archives.org/jhorsch/jhorsch2004/byler_essay.htm The Geography of Difference] - Essay on the differences between Old Order Amish and Swartzentruber Amish by Amish-Mennonite historian Darren Byler.