Fayette County, Illinois U.S. Census TIGER/Line map

The Fayette County, Illinois, Old Order Amish community, now extinct, was located near Brownstown and Vandalia in 1894-1906. The community at its largest consisted of about 25 families. John A. Miller was the first minister, and he was joined by Mose Yoder of Howard County, Indiana. Sam Bender was ordained minister and bishop of the church. Joe Bontrager, who lived in the community for about two years, also assisted in preaching.

Probably because of internal difficulties the Amish began to scatter, and by 1906 the settlement was completely gone. Many returned to Iowa, others went to Douglas County, and to Oklahoma and Mississippi. A small cemetery of 14 graves remained five miles northwest of Brownstown.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 318. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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MLA style: Hostetler, John A. "Fayette County Old Order Amish Settlement (Fayette County, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 19 June 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/fayette_county_illinois_old_order_amish_settlement.

APA style: Hostetler, John A. (1956). Fayette County Old Order Amish Settlement (Fayette County, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 June 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/fayette_county_illinois_old_order_amish_settlement.