Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation facts for kids
The Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation is the second largest Old Order Amish affiliation and as such a subgroup of Amish. Its origin and main settlement lies in Elkhart and LaGrange Counties in Indiana. While the Amish of Holmes County, Ohio and adjacent counties split into several different affiliations in the last 100 years, the Elkhart-LaGrange affiliation remained united, but with a considerable internal diversity. The Elkhart-LaGrange affiliation had 177 church districts in 2011.
History
The Elkhart-LaGrange Amish settlement was founded in 1841.
Practice and belief
The Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation is quite liberal compared to other Amish affiliation concerning the use of technology. Regulations of the Ordnung may vary considerably from district to neighboring district as can be seen in the table below, where "some" (yellow) indicates non-uniform regulations:
| Affiliation | Tractor for fieldwork | Roto- tiller | Power lawn mower | Propane gas | Bulk milk tank | Mechanical milker | Mechanical refrigerator | Pickup balers | Inside flush toilet | Running water bath tub | Tractor for belt power | Pneumatic tools | Chain saw | Pressurized lamps | Motorized washing machines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of use by all Amish |
6 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 40 | 50 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 75 | 90 | 97 |
| Swartzentruber | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Some | No | No | Yes |
| Swiss (Adams) | No | No | Some | No | No | No | No | No | Some | No | No | Some | Some | Some | Some |
| Buchanan/Medford | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Some | No | Yes | Yes |
| Danner | No | No | No | Some | No | No | Some | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Geauga I | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Some | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Holmes Old Order | No | Some | Some | No* | No | No | Some | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elkhart-LaGrange | No | Some | Some | Some | Some | Some | Some | Some | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lancaster | No | No | Some | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nappanee, Indiana | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kalona | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* Natural gas allowed
Settlements and districts
In 2011 the Elkhart-LaGrange affiliation was present in 3 states in 9 settlements with 177 church districts, forming the second largest Amish affiliation. It represents about 7 percent of the Old Oder Amish population, that is about 20,000 people out of about 300,000 in 2015. It is the most geographically concentrated of all other Amish affiliations.
