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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Georgia’s landscape, steeped in history and cultural richness, once attracted Amish settlers seeking a peaceful life. While attempts were made to establish communities in the early 1900s, unlike other regions, these settlements haven’t flourished long-term. However, the story of the Amish in Georgia is a captivating one. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.amishfurniturefactory.com/amishblog/amish-communities-in-georgia/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together.
– Amish Proverb
The Amish population have more than doubled every 20 years in North America, for two reasons: they have large families and a high retention rate of 85% to 90%. They need more land. Due to their four core values: Faith, Family, Community and Simple Living, they have managed to maintain their communities well. Their ‘cousins’ - the Hutterites and Mennonites are historically Anabaptist and share a strong emphasis on family and community. Large families are seen as a blessing and a way to strengthen community bonds, and are common within the Anabaptist Trio communities.
I will post an article of how the Amish have form a new settlement in Alabama, where there was not one since 100 years. I will write my thoughts on family values.
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Good character, like good soup, is usually homemade. ~ Amish Proverb [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/420945896400133340/] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html |
After more than 100 years, the Amish have returned to Chilton County, marking the first Amish settlement in the state in over a century. The new community is forming near Clanton, a rural farming region located roughly halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery.
Several Amish families, some reportedly coming from Amish communities in Tennessee and Mississippi, have begun moving to the area to start farms and build a new settlement. The group appears to be Swartzentruber Amish, one of the most conservative Amish affiliations. Historically, Amish groups attempted to settle in southern states in the early 1900s, but most communities didn’t last due to the hot climate and different farming conditions compared to the traditional Amish regions of the Midwest. The new Chilton County settlement is notable because it represents only the second Amish community in Alabama’s history and maybe the first successful one in over 100 years.
Chilton County is known for its agriculture,especially peaches, producing the majority of Alabama’s peach crop,making it an attractive place for Amish families looking for farmland and rural living.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://amishamerica.com/amish-new-southern-state-settlement/
Long before email, text
messages, social media, or even widespread telephone use, one simple object
helped hold Amish America together: The handwritten letter. Throughout the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Amish communities expanded far beyond their
original settlements in Pennsylvania. As families migrated westward into Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and other states, relatives often found
themselves separated by hundreds of miles. Yet family ties remained
incredibly important. The solution was
surprisingly simple. Letters. Historical records show
that Amish families became enthusiastic letter writers. Because many Amish
communities limited telephone use and because long-distance travel remained
difficult and expensive, handwritten correspondence became one of the most important
forms of communication between settlements. A single letter often
contained far more than personal news. Families exchanged
information about marriages, births, deaths, migrations, church decisions, crop
conditions, weather disasters, land prices, and opportunities for young
families looking for affordable farmland. In many cases, letters
helped determine the future direction of entire Amish settlements. For example, when
families considered moving to a new state, they often relied heavily on reports
from relatives already living there. Detailed descriptions of soil quality,
farming conditions, church life, schools, and local communities traveled
through the mail long before families ever visited in person. Historians studying
Amish migration patterns discovered that these communication networks played a
major role in spreading Amish communities across America. Letters also preserved
family connections across generations. Grandparents exchanged
news with grandchildren living in distant settlements. Cousins maintained
relationships despite rarely seeing each other face-to-face. Church leaders
communicated with other bishops regarding important religious matters. Many Amish homes
carefully saved letters for years. Some collections
survived for decades and today provide historians with valuable insights into
everyday Amish life during earlier periods of American history. The letters reveal
concerns that still feel familiar: Family worries. Financial challenges. Faith. Marriage. Health. Children. Community. The difference was the
pace. A message that now takes
seconds once required days or weeks to arrive. Yet many historians
believe this slower communication style encouraged deeper thought and stronger
personal reflection. People often spent considerable time composing letters
because each message mattered. Even today, handwritten
correspondence remains more common within many Amish communities than among the
general American population. And for generations of
Amish families, a simple envelope arriving by mail often carried something far
more valuable than information: A reminder that family
and community connections could survive almost any distance. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/198WQCsVmW/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-return-of-amish-to-alabama-in-100.html
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Annual horse sale brings thousands to Amish country. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://share.google/GFVMuQ2mndI1hYiGJ] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/03/meet-yoder-brothers-amish-auctioneers.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/04/amische-pferdeauktionen-amish-horse.html |
MY THOUGHTS:
Due to their high fertility and high retention rate, they have established 9 new communities [as of July 2025]:
1. Lexington, Jefferson County, Indiana
2. Vevay #3, Switzerland County, Indiana
3. Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky
4. Friendsville, Garrett County, Maryland
5. Hersey #2, Osceola County, Michigan
6. Dadeville, Dade County, Missouri
7. Rock Island/Spencer, Van Buren County, Tennessee
8. Camp Douglas, Juneau County, Wisconsin
9. Port Loring, Parry Sound, Ontario
SOURCE: https://amishamerica.com/the-amish-population-has-grown-over-130-percent-this-century-2025-report/
Just like the Amish are repopulating Nebraska’s Sandhills, those PA Amish are doing the same thing, by moving west of Pennsylvania to for example, Littlestown, Adams County (see Part 2). This increase is part of a larger trend where Amish families from the denser Lancaster County settlement move west to find available farmland. It is estimated by researchers that a new Amish community is formed once every few weeks (or minimum once a month).
The Hutterites are another good example of a growing community. They are actively expanding their land base in North America, driven by high birth rates and communal needs, often purchasing farmland in the Dakotas, Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, though facing some provincial restrictions and local tensions due to their rapid growth and efficient farming practices. This expansion is not just agricultural; some colonies are also diversifying into manufacturing, but land remains crucial for their self-sufficient lifestyle, leading to both economic success and community growth.
A minimum of three households is required to establish a new Amish settlement, based on demographic definitions of a community. These households must include individuals capable of holding church services. While a new settlement can begin with as few as three, established church districts typically consist of 20 to 40 families. Littlestown has about 85 to 90 families, it has increased from 11 families in 2020. I hope and pray that their Amish population will grow more like those in Maryland AKA Gortner Amish, where it is a mixture of both Old and New Order Amish combined community.
As of November 24, 2025, The McCallum family of Tasmania are expecting another ‘Para-Amish’ family to join their community. As a new Amish settlement is formed every once a month, I pray and hope for one more family to join them and it will make a new one, this time in Tasmania, Australia.
I encourage those Amish-Mennonite community to work as a team as though they are a family, I mean teamwork and family together as it will help their businesses and community engagement to flourish. See the Springfield Farm Fresh Produce - McCallum Family
I will post photos of Amish and Mennonite families, before I post sermons about family from different ministers.
Photos of Amish and Mennonites families:
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Amish Family ~ Sarah’s Country Kitchen [PHOTO SOURCE: https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/amish-family-sarahs-country-kitchen--412853490835064682/ … …. https://images.app.goo.gl/8tVWbUpRXLnwRZ6X7] https://mommyish.com/the-big-family-backlash-is-having-a-dozen-kids-selfish-717/ https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb An Amish family with 8 children [PHOTO SOURCE: https://amishrules.com/amish-values/] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/05/family-value-quotes.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/amish-baby-boom-part-1-proverbs-about.html |
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“I make music to touch the souls of people as it’s a language we all can speak.” — Andre Rieu The McCallum Para Amish family singing during the Christmas Carols 2019 at the Scottsdale Mechanics' Institute Hall BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/einfache-leben-mccallums-and-their.html |
SERMONS ABOUT FAMILY VALUES:
Proverbs for Parents - Citywide - Matthew Milioni
Mar 2, 2020 Citywide Meetings
A Followers of the Way Boston Citywide meeting.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://youtu.be/uwEGlV60I9U?si=TA3ltYKknbyyPz44
The Christian Life Should be Family Life
Jul 22, 2024
The Christian Life Should be Family Life Finny Kuruvilla
VIDEO SOURCE: https://youtu.be/qpturfawOzs?si=AWOARF1lDmTTe11d
Honor in the family of God- Glenn Miller
September 14, 2025
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBDZE0zttM&t=1s
RELATED LINKS:
" Community is like an old coat, you aren't aware of it until it is taken away." – Amish Proverb
JOHN TROYER MEMORIAL REPORT 2025
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html
https://amishamerica.com/amish-population-ranking-by-state/
https://amishamerica.com/10-oldest-amish-settlements/
https://amishamerica.com/5-amish-population-facts/
PA Amish families moving farther west as their populations hit record high
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/pa-amish-families-moving-farther-west.html
“When a team feels like a family, they will go all out to love and serve one another.” — Perry Noble
Teamarbeit und Familie: Littlestown community embraces growing Amish population
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/12/teamarbeit-und-familie-littlestown.html
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. - Proverbs 3:19-20 (ESV)
Scottsdale, Northeast Tasmania
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/scottsdale-northeast-tasmania.html
The Amish, a strange community
Dubbed
3.38M subscribers
1,151,321 views Oct 13, 2024 ÉTATS-UNIS
Welcome to Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the Amish in the United States. They are a Christian ethno-religious group of Germanic origin and are known for leading a simple, peaceful and austere life, keeping themselves aloof from progress and influences from the outside world. After several months of attempts, we finally succeeded in filming the daily life of this community from another age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWWkH0VxNU
Minnesota Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/minnesota-amish/
https://worldcrunch.com/eyes-on-the-us/amish-america-minnesota/
“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961).
AMISH REPOPULATING NEBRASKA’S SANDHILLS
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/04/amish-repopulating-nebraskas-sandhills.html
https://amishamerica.com/visiting-the-amish-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-10-photos/
Gortner Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/5-old-but-surprisingly-small-amish-communities/
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/images/ss2013/amish.pdf
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/stories/ss2003/gortneramish_plain.html
“Make it easier for churches and religious communities to run schools, succor families, and aid the needs of human life. Religion is the best family policy.” ― Catherine Pakaluk, Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish cook, mother, and author of The Essential Amish Cookbook and several other cookbooks. She writes the popular syndicated column Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, which appears in 36 newspapers around the United States along with a Facebook page with nearly 5,000 followers. Lovina and her husband, Joe, have eight children and 15 grandchildren (as of October 12, 2025). They live in rural Michigan.
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/introducing-lovina-eichers-amish-kitchen.html
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