There is a difference between the Amish and the Pennsylvania Dutch -- and even after I share with you, others will disagree with me. But here goes . . . I live in York County, PA which borders Lancaster County, PA on the west (the Susquehanna River divides the 2 counties). Lancaster County is in south-central PA. At one time it was part of Mongtomery County, PA. As settlers moved west, more and more counties were created out of the original counties where Philadelphia and other cities began in PA.. The Amish are different from the Pennsylvania Dutch. Since William Penn opened Penns Woods for settlement by _anyone,_ there has always been a mix of traditions/peoples. The Amish are just one group of people who settled here. They have tried to remain separate from the rest of us "English" and that is why they can still be picked out from the rest of us. Their clothing, schooling, work, and religious practices are unique to them. They do not attend public school. They do not have churches - worship in private homes. Their activities are dictated by the farm calendar and what the church bishops permit. Weddings are held in the late fall. Courtships are brief. Clothing is plain with no adornment (no buttons, no designs - all material used is plain). They do purchase some things in modern stores (Wal-Mart), such as diapers, cereal. There were large groups of people from Germany, Palatine, Scotland, Ireland, who settled in Pennsylvania. The Scots, Irish, and English shared a langauge so they "melted" together quicker and more easily. The Germans and Amish spoke German, and we "English" over the years, have combined them in our thinking as both groups as Pennsylvania Dutch. They may have come from the same general geographic area and used the same native tongue, but they have remained separate over the centuries. They shared a language but even now the Amish have their own "Dutch" they speak, changed and localized over the centuries. Want to know more? Bekah Mellnger Wrightsville, PA Thomas E. Lassek wrote: >" . . . . . I am not sure of our origination , but believe it to be Pa Deutche...or German...I found it in Lancaster, Pa in the 1800s.. >Jane" > >- - - - - - - - - - > >Well, diligence in research will eventually get to your roots. Maddening at times isn't it ?? Interesting caption concerning Lancaster County Pennsylvania. I remember driving through there in my younger years and ending up in a plowed field one night when I swerved off the highway to avoid a buggy and horse. The Amish gentleman had absolutely no compassion for me at all when I told him what he could do with his horse and buggy. > >I know little about their heritage, however, it was my impression that their ethnicity centered around the Dutch, or those from Holland, as opposed to German. I may have to be corrected here. I thought the "Pennsylvania Dutch" were actually from Holland. Can anyone else shed light on this ?? > >Tom Lassek >Eufaula Alabama > > > >==== PA-PITTSBURGH Mailing List ==== >How to unsubscribe. Send a message to:[email protected] that contains ONLY the word, 'unsubscribe' in the text area. > >============================== >Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration >Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > > > > >

My great-great grandfather was a German immigrant who considered himself as, PA Dutch. The explanation that he passed down was that upon immigration when asked what his country of origin was, he replied, Deutschland. The records keepers typically wrote down, Dutch-land, not knowing that Deutschland was Germany. My German ancestors settled in Northumberland and Snyder Counties in eastern PA. Sue* -----Original Message----- There is a difference between the Amish and the Pennsylvania Dutch -- and even after I share with you, others will disagree with me. But here goes . . . I live in York County, PA which borders Lancaster County, PA on the west (the Susquehanna River divides the 2 counties). Lancaster County is in south-central PA. At one time it was part of Mongtomery County, PA. As settlers moved west, more and more counties were created out of the original counties where Philadelphia and other cities began in PA.. The Amish are different from the Pennsylvania Dutch. Since William Penn opened Penns Woods for settlement by _anyone,_ there has always been a mix of traditions/peoples. The Amish are just one group of people who settled here. They have tried to remain separate from the rest of us "English" and that is why they can still be picked out from the rest of us. Their clothing, schooling, work, and religious practices are unique to them. They do not attend public school. They do not have churches - worship in private homes. Their activities are dictated by the farm calendar and what the church bishops permit. Weddings are held in the late fall. Courtships are brief. Clothing is plain with no adornment (no buttons, no designs - all material used is plain). They do purchase some things in modern stores (Wal-Mart), such as diapers, cereal. There were large groups of people from Germany, Palatine, Scotland, Ireland, who settled in Pennsylvania. The Scots, Irish, and English shared a langauge so they "melted" together quicker and more easily. The Germans and Amish spoke German, and we "English" over the years, have combined them in our thinking as both groups as Pennsylvania Dutch. They may have come from the same general geographic area and used the same native tongue, but they have remained separate over the centuries. They shared a language but even now the Amish have their own "Dutch" they speak, changed and localized over the centuries. Want to know more? Bekah Mellnger Wrightsville, PA --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.693 / Virus Database: 454 - Release Date: 5/31/2004