The Interview Collection
Every individual story here is important when trying to understand these events and this culture. Each person holds one piece, and without any of them, the archive is not complete. You are encouraged to keep this in mind as you watch: no single person has the authoritative perspective or narrative.
Speaker Group
Topics
Speakers in this group grew up in traditional Amish church life and remember its practices, expectations, and changes from an adult or young adult perspective.
Many children were born into the middle of these changes. Their experiences are varied, but they share a more tenuous connection to the Amish than their parents. Some remember the church in the height of its traditionalism as well as its waning, while others’ memories lie squarely in its afterimage. They all understood how central Amish culture was to their parents’ and older relatives’ lives while never having quite the same personal history.
Speakers in this group were born into the period of transition. Their experiences vary, but they often describe Amish life through childhood memory and the residual, long-term effects of practices their parents and older relatives knew more directly.
Older Generation, Swiss
Opens interview page
Benjamin says he can pick an Amish person out, regardless of what clothes they're wearing. It's an identity that stays with you. He recounts shucking corn in the cold, picking cantaloupes, and doing chores early in the morning before school. It was a life full…
Older Generation
Opens interview page
Becky has a sharp memory for details. She regales us with memories of odd Sunday night dinners and the simple but extraordinary Christmas gifts she received as a child. She remembers the hours she and her sister Lorrie spent giggling as they avoided housework and…
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Abijah shares jokes, mentions the little gray house (the original ranch house that stood there when the land was purchased in 1992), and tells us about his childhood feelings about speaking Pennsylvania Dutch in public.
Older Generation
Opens interview page
Phillip is a farmer and rancher at heart and by trade. He shares stories of herding cattle, discovering his love for horses, and making hay — lots and lots of hay. Can a community's conservatism be revealed by their haymaking method alone? Phillip could convince…
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Jonathan shares his daily routines growing up, including how he was responsible for his family's animals. He describes the excitement of wearing jeans for the first time and the novelty of watching movies with his cousins when they were a new feature in the community.
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Grace was born near the center of the grandchildren lineup, and so has memories from before the transition while being young enough to feel she was not wholly part of that first era of drastic change. She warmly remembers many community and family activities, but describes the difficulties that follow coming of age when the expectations were not always clear, rules were changing, and she was learning more about society outside the community.
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Delilah lived in Libby until she was 11, when her family began transitioning out of the community and eventually landed in Redding, California when she was 12. The move from her childhood home where she has many fond memories, to her new environment, was a culture shock. As she continued to grow up in California, she gradually settled into her new life and found her own identity, while remaining inspired and grateful for her Amish heritage.
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Delores remembers a vibrant childhood surrounded by cousins and close friends, shares some wacky Pennsylvania Dutch words, and tells how she made tally marks on the barn wall each time she milked her family's goats.
Older Generation
Opens interview page
Joas was a teenager during the transition years in Libby, after spending his childhood on the West Kootenai. He articulates the siloing effect that beginning to drive cars had on the community; they no longer relied on each other for shared transportation or walked to church together. He emphasizes the values he continues to hold onto that originate in Amish culture.
Older Generation
Opens interview page
Elvie is right in the middle of the Miller siblings, but has often been a few steps ahead of most of them in terms of modernizing. He was excited for every advancement and technological progression, endured quite a few near-death injuries, and does a great impression of several traditional Amish bishops.
Older Generation
Opens interview page
Rebekah grew up in Michigan and Indiana before moving to Montana after marrying Elvie. In her interview, she talks about the family bakery that filled much of the week, her work as the unofficial community seamstress, and the emotional restraint she observed around religion in Amish life.
Younger Generation
Opens interview page
Judith talks about her impressions of "English" kids, her responsibilities at home, how she wanted to wear pants so she could be a cool tomboy, and how she knows things are in a good place now.