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Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

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Full-Text Articles in American Studies

Review Of: Make Us A Blessing: A Biography Of Elmer B. Zimmerman—Fred M. Zimmerman, Sheldon Raber Jun 2023

Review Of: Make Us A Blessing: A Biography Of Elmer B. Zimmerman—Fred M. Zimmerman, Sheldon Raber

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

The title page of Make Us a Blessing states that the book is "The Life of Elmer B. Zimmerman – Farmer, Machinist, Developer, and Church Builder – 1918–1978." The book is clearly intended as dedicated “to all those who could call Pop ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Great–Grandpa.” Because the book is written by Elmer’s son, Fred, the history includes many personal insights. [First paragraph.]


Review Of: John D. Burkholder’S Diaries Written During His Civilian Public Service: Camp 45, Skyline Drive, Luray, Virginia – November 1, 1944 Through May 1, 1946—John D. Burkholder, Steven Yoder Jun 2023

Review Of: John D. Burkholder’S Diaries Written During His Civilian Public Service: Camp 45, Skyline Drive, Luray, Virginia – November 1, 1944 Through May 1, 1946—John D. Burkholder, Steven Yoder

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

The book opens with a lengthy introduction by the editors to the history of the Civilian Public Service camps during the 1940s that came to be known simply as CPS camps. The diary begins November 1, 1944, a few months after John D. Burkholder started his service on July 4th at Camp 45. The diary ends abruptly on May 1, 1946. I cannot find exactly when his time of service ended but the editor reports that the camp closed at the end of June of the same year. [First paragraph.]


Review Of: Phebe’S Home: A Woman’S Life In The Warwick River Mennonite Colony—Jo Anne Kraus, Kathryn Swartz Jun 2023

Review Of: Phebe’S Home: A Woman’S Life In The Warwick River Mennonite Colony—Jo Anne Kraus, Kathryn Swartz

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

Phebe’s Home is the story of Phebe Shenk Kraus’s life, researched and written by her granddaughter, incorporating Phebe’s and others’ handwritten letters and diaries. It is also the broader story of the Denbigh Mennonite farm colony in Tidewater, VA, from its beginning in the early 1900s until it became a neighborhood within the sprawling city of Newport News. [First paragraph.]


Review Of: Carpenter Under Construction: The Story Of Don Plank—Diane Freed, James Swartz, Kathryn Swartz Jun 2023

Review Of: Carpenter Under Construction: The Story Of Don Plank—Diane Freed, James Swartz, Kathryn Swartz

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

Carpenter Under Construction is the story of Don Plank’s life, written by his youngest daughter. It briefly touches on his early life and moves through major life events. About half of the book covers the busy later years in life when he and his second wife moved from mission to mission in various support roles. Don was a good carpenter, but Freed puts more emphasis on what God built Don to be rather than on what Don himself built during his long life. [First paragraph.]


Review Of: From Vision To Legacy—Lester And Sarah Gingerich, Mildred Martin Jun 2023

Review Of: From Vision To Legacy—Lester And Sarah Gingerich, Mildred Martin

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

They married young and, within months, were stationed in Central America, as pioneers in 1961 for Amish Mennonite Aid missions. What began as relief work for hurricane victims turned into a 50-year saga, as relationships were forged, souls were saved, churches were planted, and grapefruit were bowled (page 261). From Vision To Legacy is an autobiographical life story of Lester and Sarah Gingerich, told in alternating streams of thought: his and hers. This spicy slice of Amish-Mennonite history opens with bits and pieces about ancestors immigrating from Germany but soon arrives at the narrators’ own births and lives from the …