Marjorie Yoder
Yoder Case, Maine Amish, Hymn Singing, "Homemade" fabric softener and "Farm to Table"
By Kevin Williams
We've been following the disturbing story of the murder of Amos Yoder, 79, and the assault on his wife, Marjorie.
I called the Kentucky State Police to clear up a few details:
Some media reports have indicated the couple was "choked", but Kentucky State Police public information office Stu Renke says that is not the case, it was "blunt force trauma."
I spoke to someone who lives close to the Yoders and have gleaned a little bit of information about the settlement (I am not a huge fan of anonymous sources, but in this case I'm more interested in what the person had to say rather than who the person was):
AMISH OR MENNONITE?
I've seen differing reports about whether the couple was/is Amish or Mennonite, the source says that they "refer to themselves as Mennonites and do use horse and buggy on Sundays and for weddings and funerals." The source said that everyone in their area knows one another:
"Where we live is mostly farmland. They are real nice people,easy to get along with," the source said.
It doesn't really matter whether they are Amish or Mennonites, it's a tragedy. A friend of mine says Amos Yoder is Amish and she is a credible source. Why the discrepancy in reports? Guthrie, Kentucky, where is murder took place, is home to the New Order Electric Amish, a small group of progressive Amish. From Todd County's website:
Todd County is home to the oldest Amish settlement in Kentucky. Founded in 1958, the “Guthrie community” is home to “electric” New Order Amish that originate from a now-defunct Amish church at Stuarts Draft, Virginia. Though they dress plain, use the horse-and-buggy, and speak Pennsylvania Dutch, New Order Amish differ somewhat from Old Order Amish in that they tend to have a greater focus on missions and outreach and are generally liberal on technology – such as the use of electricity in homes, and tractors and other modern machinery on their farmsteads. While New Order Amish dot the rural landscape in southern Todd County, a growing settlement of Old Order Mennonites exist in the northwestern portion of the county near Fairview.
I'm thinking that the Yoders are part of this group.
SOMEHOW WHO KNEW THE YODERS?
The source also said that everyone would have known the Yoders were away on Sunday morning except that, the source said, "they probably didn't go that Sunday" because Marjorie had just had knee replacement surgery. That meshes with my own gut feeling....that a Sunday morning in such a rural location seems like an odd, odd time and place for a murder unless it was someone who knew the routines of those involved. This is pure speculation on my part, but....that's my gut feeling.
The source said that Marjorie Yoder had to undergo reconstructive surgery on her face from the injuries but was well enough to attend church recently.
And that is all I have. Trooper Stu Recke says: "If anyone has any information no matter how trivial, and callers may remain anonymous, call 270-676-3313 with tips."
Recke says several calls and tips have been received, but nothing has panned out yet.
I'll keep monitoring this story.
AMISH IN MAINE: The Bangor Daily News paid a visit to the growing Amish settlement around Unity, Maine over the weekend. Read this really nice, indepth story here and come away hungry for doughnuts!
AMISH HYMN SING: The Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead in Pennsylvania hosted an Amish singing last week as a sort of "living history" presentation. Wow, clicking here is worthwhile just to hear the beautiful, haunting harmony of pure Amish singing.
SIMPLY AMISH: We check in with talented Amish writer, Arlene Schmidt this week who shares a recipe for homemade (sort of) fabric softener. I say sort of one of the ingredients is "Sauve conditioner"...so....anyway, click here to read. Arlene comes from the Swiss Amish traditions of the Berne, Indiana area.
LANCASTER EMBRACES FARM TO TABLE: Interesting read about how the "farm to table" movement is really gaining steam in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Click here.
Carolyn T.
I live in Clarksville, TN close to Guthrie, KY. We have both Amish and Mennonites in this area. This horrible crime has rocked the entire community of Amish, Mennonites and Enlishers alike.
Kevin
Carolyn, thanks for pinning down the geography on this, I meant to put that in the post but forgot. Yes, the settlement is quite close to the Tennessee line.
brenda
Kevin, your comments about rural areas on Sunday AM during worship time reminded me of a decade or so ago the rash of folks in Ohio being robbed while they were at church. in that instance they were able to see the large tire tracks that indicated larger trucks had been there and tractors etc had been loaded up by a crew that whisked away most of the farm implements ETC.
I am sure you recall this challenge and whether or not anyone was ever implicated in this vast crime spree.
Kevin
Gosh, that was a long time ago, but I remember that now,Brenda...I cant remember if they were ever caught!
Catherine Pond
Hi Kevin, We've corresponded in the past. Delighted to find your website (and love your cookbooks) but sorry about such tragic reasons for coming upon it. Feel free to contact me for any questions about the Kentucky Amish and Mennonite communities.
Amos Yoder was a member of the Old Order Mennonites who are "overseen" (for lack of a better word) by the national Graffdale Conference. They all drive horse and buggies but some choose to use steel-wheeled tractors and others use horses for farm work: both are allowed in the OOM). He volunteered his time each year as an auctioneer (and a very lively one at that) at the Galilean Home Ministries Quilt & Craft Auction each October over in Casey County, Kentucky.
I am writing an article about the auction for the local county magazine and just learned of his death. I had not heard about it before because our local news coverage is out of Lexington (he was in western Kentucky) and because we had a busy summer on our farm and I was not over in Casey County so much in the last few months when I would have heard about this.
Yes, you are right. Sunday morning is a time most thieves would think no one home; the Anabaptists are also trusting people who leave their doors unlocked (not so much any more).
It is tragic and sad and he was a really fine man.
On a happier note, I'm glad to have found your website today! (I wrote THE PANTRY-Its History and Modern Uses -- I hope I sent you a copy! But I know we corresponded by email a while ago.)
Best wishes,
Catherine S. Pond
Kevin
Thanks, Catherine, I think that answers some questions about what group Amos belonged to! Glad to have you back on Amish365!
Tuncker
The following five different Old Order Mennonite groups are living in Todd county, Kentucky, where the murder occurred:
- Groffdale Conference Mennonites
- John Martins (76ers), a conservative subgroup of the Groffdale Conference Mennonites
- Orthodox Mennonites
- Reidenbach Mennonites, Amos Martin subgroup
- Reidenbach Mennonites, Henry Hoover subgroup
There is nobody with the name "Yoder" among the Reidenbachs, they only have four family names: Hoover, Martin, Reiff and Nolt.
The plain dress of the Orthodox Mennonites looks almost the same as the plain dress of the Amish and the men also wear beards, but with moustache! The Orthodox Mennonites have hats with very wide brims.
Amos Yoder had a beard without moustache and a hat with a brim that is not very wide.
Both groups of Groffdale Mennonites do not wear beards.
Therefore it is very unlikely that Amos Yoder belonged to one of the five Old Oder Mennonite groups of Todd county.
Kevin
Thanks for this...I'll have to do some more digging...he was apparently pretty well known among the Plain groups in Todd County...
Tuncker D.H.
By the way, the first Amish settlement in Maine, Smyrna, originally was not Amish but from the "Christian Communities" of Elmo Stoll! When the "Christian Communities" disbanded after the early death of Elmo Stoll, they joined an Amish group from Michigan. Many of the members of the "Christian Communities" were Amish before they joined the "Christian Communities" so it is not that totally strange that they joined an Amish group.
Somehow nobody writes about the strange beginnings of the Amish in Maine. The beginnings were not Amish but turned Amish.
Kevin
Thanks for this....Well...are you sure about that? I know that Elmo's widow lives in Unity, and I'm aware of Christian community experiment (one still exists near Caneyville, KY), but I didn't think there was ever an actual Stoll Christian Community in Maine...I might be wrong...but I thought the Smyrna settlement was a "daughter" community of Aylmer,Ontario and Manton, Michigan...
Tuncker D.H.
I know that Elmo and his family and several of his followers came from Aylmer, Ontario. I think one of Elmo's sons lives in Smyrna.
But for the question, if the beginning of Smyrna was Amish or Christian Communities, see here: http://mennodiscuss.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13911
"Yes, I too knew a few families from Smyrna Mills. It was started by Elmo and the Christian Communities, but went under Old Order Amish guidance after the Christian Communities split up."
There is this sentence in this document: http://www.anabaptistchurch.org/community_by_elmo_stoll.htm
"4. Maine/New Brunswick: NB was dissolved and those left across the border in Maine are now Amish. "
If you search the net, you'll find more.
The Smyrna Amish are more open to outsiders and wear mustaches, because of their "Christian Communities" roots. Old Order Mennonite beards with moustache all come from the same environment: the very plain, primitive technology "conservative" reformers. Elmo Stoll's "Christian Communities", The Noah Hoover Mennonites and the Orthodox Mennonites had many contacts, they merged groups and split and merged and split.
The whole process is extremely interesting and the result of all this are Old Order Mennonites that are in many aspects more Amish than the Amish.
The Noah Hoovers are more Amish than the Amish concerning technology (no engine power at all) and the Orthodox Mennonites dress in a way more Amish than many Amish.
They don't shift to modernity but rather shifted to be more “Old Order”, more “Amish”, more primitive, plainer etc.
Kevin
Very interesting, I really appreciate your information and perspective!