By Kevin Williams
We've been exploring the Old Order German Baptist Brethren community near Covington, Ohio the past few days and I'll share more next week.  But today I want to talk about their buggies.  OOGBs are forbidden to own automobiles  for the same reasons the Amish eschew them, owning them would cause the church to spread out and lose the reliance on one another that makes the church like family.  The settlement is two small to have their own buggy-maker, there just wouldn't be enough business to go around.  So for buggies many of the OOGB here purchase them from an Amish buggymaker in Belle Center, Ohio about an hour away.  That is a fairly large New Order Amish community.
An odd buggy, for sure, but can fit a lot of people!
A "tractor buggy" common among the Old Order German Baptist Brethren.
traditional Amish buggy found in the Old Order German Baptist settlement. OOGBs are not permitted to own automobiles.
Others will get more innovative. I met an OOGB man who bought a used buggy from a Mennonite family. Â But this buggy really caught my eye. Â This is a traditional "buggy box" affixed to a flat cart. Â The buggy is now owned by a young family, but it was first made for an elderly couple who found the flat cart was easier to step up into than a traditional buggy. Â The family that now owns it only has Mom, Dad and a little boy, "but there is plenty of room for more people," said the Mom. She said they often have passengers to and from church in the buggy because it is kind of a novelty.
Another transportation option for the Old Order German Baptists are what I call "tractor buggies." Â Unlike the Partridge, Kansas Amish settlement that also uses tractors for transportation, the OOGBs can only use them if they have carts attached to them. Â So many OOGBS will use these vehicles to make quick errands into Gettysburg or Covington, distances that might be a bit far by buggy, but can be reachable by tractor. Â This is farming country so people are used to slow-moving vehicles on the roads.
Virginia
Hi, Kevin,
I am one of the newcomers so I enjoy hearing your stories about your family/child, travels, and whatever topic you want to discuss...after all, you didn't ask me to join your page, I asked to join your group...emphasis on YOUR....if people don't like your topics, they can write their own. I guess I'm at a point in life where I don't have a lot of patience for whiners or complainers. Life is too short. Enjoy it. If you don't like something, move on...no one is forced to read what you write...so, You go, Kevin!!!!!
Kevin
Thank you, Virginia and Sara, for the kind words...I hope you stick around...I'll the first to admit that maybe I've been a bit of a "high maintenance editor" in the past, but I think the future for this site looks good!
brenda
Virginia you saved my having to write that message !!! Really amazes me how one can join a newsletter, physical neighborhood , club or church and then want it to conform to their wishes. move on is right. Keep those interesting letters coming,Kevin.
sara marsh
I really enjoy your blog. I have been reading for a little over a month. As for naysayers, they can move on and find something more to their liking!
Marge
I agree with the above ladies. I like the great variety that you give us. Just keep on "pluggin" along! And I love the pics of Aster.
Kendra @A Proverbs 31 Wife
How interesting! You were right in my area. 🙂 I have distant family among the old order brethren but they are really distant and I'm pretty sure I couldn't pick them out in a crowd as it's been years since I've been with them.
Martin
Hello Kevin,
do you know how many members of the Old Order German Baptist Brethren there are and what their total population is? The lastest numbers I could find are from the year 2000.
Kevin
Martin, about 280 is their population now, counting children and unmarried adults...not a very big church