The Andy Weaver Amish, locally also called "Dan Church", "Dan Amish" or "Danners", are a conservative subgroup of

Old Order Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss and Alsatian origins. As they maintain a degree of separation from surrounding populations, and ho ...

. They are more conservative than average Old Order Amish. Andy Weaver Amish are considered a subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry with more liberal Old Order Amish. They speak

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate region of Germany ...

as their mother tongue as well as English with outsiders. A subgroup of the

Swartzentruber Amish The Swartzentruber Amish are one of the largest and most conservative subgroups of Amish, Old Order Amish. The Swartzentruber Amish are considered a subgroups of Amish, subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry ...

is also called "Andy Weaver".

History

Holmes County, Ohio Holmes County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 44,223. Its county seat is Millersburg. The county was formed in 1824 from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties and organized the ...

, the Andy Weaver Amish were formed in 1952 over the issue of shunning. They were named after Andrew J. Weaver, a conservative minister who took a stand against "drift", that is moving towards mainstream society.

Customs and technology

They are less conservative than the Swartzentruber Amish but more conservative than the Old Order main body. Compared to them they have greater restrictions on farm, business and home technologies, a stricter interpretation of shunning, stricter youth regulations and a greater tolerance of alcohol and tobacco.

Districts and populations

Most of the Andy Weaver Amish live in

, where they had 30 church districts in 2009. There are three other settlements, including a settlement in

Ashland County, Ohio Ashland County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,447. Its county seat and largest city is Ashland. The county is named for " Ashland", the home of Senator ...

, and in one upstate New York. All together, there were 40 church districts in 2011. Andy Weaver Amish have the highest rates of retention of their children in the church among all Amish. The retention rate is estimated at 97%. On the other hand Andy Weavers have left agriculture on a larger scale than other Amish with only 6% active in farming.Amishamerica.com: Who are the Andy Weaver Amish?
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Literature

* Donald B. Kraybill, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner and Steven M. Nolt: ''The Amish'', Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2013. * Karen Johnson-Weiner: ''New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State'', Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY 2017. * Charles Hurst and David McConnell: ''An Amish Paradox. Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community'', Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2010

References

External links

Who are the Andy Weaver Amish?
- Amish Online Encyclopedia entry on Andy Weaver Amish technology, history, and customs. {{DEFAULTSORT:Amish, Andy Weaver Christian organizations established in 1952 Anabaptist denominations established in the 20th century Old Order Amish 1952 establishments in Ohio Christian denominations founded in the United States