Polk County, Iowa Amish Mennonite settlement, now extinct, was founded near the Story County line by five families from Johnson County, Iowa, in 1868-1869. John Mishler, an Amish deacon who moved to Johnson County from Ohio in 1859, was dissatisfied with the progressivism and the leader­ ship of the Iowa Amish church, and when he ceased to co-operate with the Iowa church leaders his church office was taken from him in 1864, and he became one of the leaders of the dissatisfied group which moved to Polk County in 1868-1869. Because, contrary to expectations, only five families moved to Polk County and no church was established, two families left the community, one joined the Meth­odists, and two attended the services of the Church of the Brethren.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 200. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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