Summers Amish Mennonite Church, more generally known as Canton Amish Mennonite Church, now extinct, located about 5 miles southwest of the then limits of Canton, Ohio near the present village of Richville, was established in 1810 - 1820 by Amish settlers from Pennsylvania. Later settlers were Alsatian Amish Mennonites. An early minister was George Yutzy. A later minister was Henry Summers, the father of Preacher John Sommers (ord. 1888 at Beech). Other ministers were Daniel Graber, and bishops Christian Klopfenstein and Zehr. After the death of Henry Summers in the late 1870s, ministerial help for the remaining members was supplied by the Oak Grove Mennonite Church at Smithville and the Beech Church at Louisville. As late as 1900 the Eastern A.M. Conference appointed someone to serve the congregation. J. S. Gerig and John Sommers served in this way. The members began to move away or to join other Mennonite Church congregations as well as other denominations. This congregation probably never had a meeting house, but used the Mt. Eaton Church of the Brethren for funerals. This Amish congregation had no connection with the Rowland Mennonite Church, although the two have sometimes been confused.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 656. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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