Amish Neighbors

"Sturgeon Missouri Then and Now, 1856-1981"

In the fall of 1953 an Amish family moved onto a farm in the area just north of Sturgeon. By 1961, 40 Amish families had formed a sizable community of farms stretching north of highway 22.

Amish roots go back to the early pioneers in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, back to the Mennonites and the Brethern or the Anabaptists in Switzerland and the Netherlands in the 16th century, back to Alsace, Russia and southern Germany, to followers of Conrad Grebel, Huldreich Zwingli and Jacob Ammann.

Most of the Sturgeon families traced their direct ancestry to Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas and other central states. The congregation here is more conservative in its beliefs than some of the Amish, and deeply religious. Technically called "Old Order Amish", they are individualistic, self-sufficient, quick to help their needy, financially reliable.

Sturgeon residents and the entire area buy large amounts of sorghum, eggs, chicken, peanut brittle (literally tons of it) and candy from them.