72 / Pioneer Amish Communities

later years. Members of this and the other original Amish communities moved westward to Mifflin and Union counties in Pennsylvania. From there as well as from the original settlements later generations moved to Somerset and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. And from the various Pennsylvania Amish communities there were nineteenth-century migrations to Holmes, Wayne, Logan, and Champaign counties in Ohio.

In 1893 an Amish Mennonite Conference was formed in Ohio and in 1898 certain of the Pennsylvania Amish united with this conference.' This conference and the Ohio Mennonite Conference were destined to grow closer in interests, fellowship, and programs. When they merged in 1927, certain of the Pennsylvania Amish congregations were a part of the uniting conferences. This explains the presence of Pennsylvania congregations in the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference of today.

More Pennsylvania Communities

The other Pennsylvania Amish communities that were to become a part of the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference were located in Chester, Lancaster, Mifflin, and Lawrence counties. Decendants from the Berks settlement moved into Lancaster and Chester counties as early as the late 1700's and early 1800's. Here they planted communities which later became the Millwood and Maple Grove congregations near Atglen, Pennsylvania. Other descendants from Berks, Lancaster, and Chester counties moved to Mifflin County and formed the Allensville and Belleville congregation s.

The Mifflin County settlement in central Pennsylvania began in the 1790's when the Zugs, Yotters (later called Yoders), Hooleys, and Hertzlers moved into the beautiful Kishacoquillas Valley and began to till its fertile acres.

The Lawrence County settlement in western Pennsylvania originated in the 1840's when Amish from Mifflin County moved to Lawrence County under the leadership of Abraham Zook. Daniel and Jacob Byler, Adam Hostetter, and John Knepp were among those who made this journey and planted a permanent community in the hills of western Pennsylvania.

Into Holmes County

Ohio's oldest and largest Amish settlement grew out of migra-