The first such groups settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. These are traditionalist branches of a broader movement that traces its roots directly back to the Anabaptists of 16th-century Europe. Except for the Brethren, all the groups studied speak a Germanic dialect for everyday life and worship services. Except for the Brethren, children are separated from outsiders in private schools, which typically end after eighth grade. Amish youth must join the church before they can marry.
Farmers pass down property to their children only if they remain in the church.
In addition, all but the Brethren shun members who leave. But to prosper, the Amish, Hutterites, Old Order Mennonites and Brethren have intertwined compromises with restrictions. They allow technology that furthers growth modern medicine, for example while prohibiting that which they believe tears the groups apart television, radios and most telephones. Sometimes, Kraybill said, those can appear conflicting to outsiders. E-mail this story to a friend.