Princess Anne County, Virginia Amish Mennonite Settlement
Old Order Amish families moved to Princess Anne County, Virginia first in 1907 from Somerset and Lancaster counties, Pennsylvania. Early arrivals were the families of Ben Smucker, Daniel Hershberger, Elias A. Yoder, Noah E. Yoder, Milton E. Yoder, and Peter D. Kinsinger. The first resident bishop was Daniel D. Yoder. William S. Yoder, Simon D. Schrock, and Jonas H. Hershberger were later bishops. A meetinghouse was erected in 1913 midway between Norfolk and Virginia Beach; it was enlarged in 1927 and in 1948.
In 1941 a division occurred, which resulted in a migration of many Old Order Amish members to Stuarts Draft, Virginia. Those remaining conceded the use of automobiles, and are now known as the Kempsville Amish Mennonite Church, which belongs to the Beachy Amish group. The congregation has had a Sunday school since 1922, and has supported an elementary church school since 1946. The community is located in a favorable market area, with dairying and vegetable farming in the vicinity. The membership in 1957 was 136.
| Author(s) | John A Hostetler |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hostetler, John A. "Princess Anne County, Virginia Amish Mennonite Settlement." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 13 Mar 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Princess_Anne_County,_Virginia_Amish_Mennonite_Settlement&oldid=135998.
APA style
Hostetler, John A. (1959). Princess Anne County, Virginia Amish Mennonite Settlement. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 March 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Princess_Anne_County,_Virginia_Amish_Mennonite_Settlement&oldid=135998.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 219. All rights reserved.
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