The Swartzendruber Amish are the result of a division that occurred in Holmes County, Ohio in the middle of the 20th century. There are five districts of Swartzendruber Amish in Holmes County and Wayne County. They are noted for their use of reflective tape in place of bright triangular slow moving signs for road travel, which they regard as too worldly. Like some other Old Order groups, they avoid the use of electricity and indoor plumbing. Swartzendruber Amish speak Pennsylvania German, and are considered a subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship nor intermarry with more liberal Old Order Amish.
Swartzendruber is a Mennonite/Amish family name, which is of Swiss origin. It is thought to mean "seller of black grapes." Other English spellings of the name include Swartzentruber, Schwartzendruber, Schwarzentruber, and Schwarztrauber.
Reference
- Mennonite Encyclopedia, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
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