Amish Tendencies

My family's ancestors were Anabaptist after the religious reformation. Later schisms in that group resulted in Mennonites, Amish, and I don't know what all. My direct line was part of a later Anabaptist splinter in Switzerland, the Apostolics. So, my point is, I have some common ancestry with Amish folk.

My direct line traces to Adam Gilliom, who came to Indiana from Switzerland in the 1800s. I'm sure we were Apostolic at that time. A few generations down, my father had the distinction of being one the first member of our family to leave the church altogether. All on his own. He says it sucked at the time because none of his friends were allowed to talk to him and he really missed hunting and fishing with one of his cousins.

According to my parents, when I was a little kid, an Amish buggy passed our house and I took off chasing after it. My mom had no idea what happened to me. She called the police and everything.

Eventually, somebody reported seeing me running down the road chasing the buggy and yelling, "Horsey! Horsey!"

When the police brought me home, my mom says I told her I wanted to be, "an Amish" when I grew up.

[Originally posted on I'm Nacho Steppinstone, Feb. 20, 2004]