Noah Hoover Mennonite
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The Noah Hoover Mennonites, called "Old Order Mennonite Church (Hoover)" by the
Mennonite World Conference The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is a Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. History The first ''Mennonite World Conference'' was held in Basel in 1925. Its main purpose was to celebra ...
, and sometimes called " Scottsville Mennonites”, are a group of very
plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...
Old Order Mennonite Old Order Mennonites (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ) form a branch of the Mennonite tradition. Old Order Movement, Old Order are those Mennonite groups of Swiss people, Swiss German and south Germans, German heritage who pract ...
s that originally came from the
Stauffer Mennonite The Stauffer Mennonites, or "Pikers", are a group of Old Order Mennonites. They are also called "Team Mennonites", because they use horse drawn transportation. In 2015 the Stauffer Mennonites had 1,792 adult members. History The original Church ...
s and later merged with several other groups. Today it is seen as an independent branch of Old Order Mennonites. The group differs from other Old Order Mennonites by having settlements outside the US and Canada ( in Belize) and by attracting new members from other groups on a larger scale. They have more restrictions on modern technology than all other Old Order Mennonite groups. They are rather intentionalist minded than ultra traditional.


History

The Noah Hoover Mennonites have a complicated history because they did not just separate from one other Old Order Mennonites group but emerged from a series of splits and mergers of different Old Order groups. The events that led to the Noah Hoover Mennonites as an independent group of Old Order Mennonites started in 1944 when a group around bishop Phares O. Stauffer left the main body of the
Stauffer Mennonite The Stauffer Mennonites, or "Pikers", are a group of Old Order Mennonites. They are also called "Team Mennonites", because they use horse drawn transportation. In 2015 the Stauffer Mennonites had 1,792 adult members. History The original Church ...
s in
Snyder County, Pennsylvania Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County. Snyder County comprises the Selin ...
, because they strongly opposed the use of food ration stamps during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Traditional Mennonites are opposed to everything that has to do with war. In 1945/46 a controversy about church discipline led to the withdrawal of the vast majority of the members of the shortly before established Phares O. Stauffer group forming a new group which choose Aaron Martin as minister and later as bishop. Stephen Scott: Old Order and Conservative Mennonites Groups, Intercourse, PA 1996, page 102. Deacon Jonas Nolt of the new Aaron Martin group objected to growing and using tobacco and too much modern farm machinery. He felt strongly that chicks should be hatched by brooding hens instead of being bought from a
hatchery A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled cond ...
. The people around him formed a new group in 1949 that over several years attracted more and more people from the Aaron Martin group and eventually choose Titus B. Hoover (1925 - 2016) as bishop.Stephen Scott: Old Order and Conservative Mennonites Groups, Intercourse, PA 1996, page 103. In 1952 the new Titus Hoover group in Snyder County was joined by most of the members of the "
Reformed Amish Christian Church Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
" from Tennessee which originally was part of the " Amish Christian Church", a group that originally had been established in 1894 near
Berne, Indiana Berne (English: ɜːn is a city within Monroe and Wabash townships, Adams County, Indiana, United States, located south of Fort Wayne. The population was 4,173 at the 2020 Census. Berne is widely known for its Swiss heritage, architectur ...
, by David Schwartz (1862 - 1953). Through the merger the Reformed Amish Christian Church came to an end as independent church, because almost all of its members joined the Titus Hoover group.
Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...
from Hohenwald, Tennessee (originally from
Adams County, Indiana Adams County lies in northeastern Indiana in the United States and shares its eastern border with Ohio. It was officially established in 1836. The county seat is Decatur. According to the 2020 census, its population was 35,809, an increase of ...
) and individual "Russian" Mennonites and Orthodox Mennonites joined the Titus Hoover group. Donnermeyer, Joseph, and Cory Anderson: "The Growth of Amish and Plain Anabaptists in Kentucky." in Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies 2(2):215, page 232, 2014. When in 1954 a group of twenty-five people from the extended Hoover and Sherk families left the
David Martin Mennonites The David Martin Mennonites, officially called Independent Old Order Mennonite Church or Independent Old Order Mennonites, are a horse and buggy group of Canada, Canadian Old Order Mennonites that is moderate concerning the use of modern technolo ...
in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
they and the Titus Hoovers tried to merge, but in the end less than half of the ones, who had left the David Martins chose to unite with the Titus Hoovers and move to Pennsylvania. The ones, who did not merge with the Titus Hoovers, tried to merge with the Reidenbach Mennonites and later with other groups formed the
Orthodox Mennonites The Orthodox Mennonites, also called Wellesley Orthodox Mennonites and Huron Orthodox Mennonites, are two groups of traditional Old Order Mennonites in Canada and the US with about 650 baptized members. Even though plain dress, plain to a very high ...
.Orthodox Mennonite Church at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
/ref> The Noah Hoover Mennonites then emerged from a split from the Titus Hoover group in 1963 in
Snyder County, Pennsylvania Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County. Snyder County comprises the Selin ...
, over Titus Hoover's doctrine of the one true church, which was rejected by a majority who subsequently formed the new Noah Hoover group.Stephen Scott: Old Order and Conservative Mennonites Groups, Intercourse, PA 1996, page 104. In the late 1960s, North American, Pennsylvania German-speaking Mennonites settled in
Pilgrimage Valley Pilgrimage Valley is a small Mennonite settlement in Cayo District, Belize, some 5 km east of San Ignacio. It was founded in 1965 by 10 German speaking Mennonite families to escape increasing secularism. Some came from other Mennonite Coloni ...
and
Upper Barton Creek Upper Barton Creek is a mixed Mennonite settlement and expats in Cayo District in Belize in the area of the Barton Creek. The Mennonites in Upper Barton Creek are ethnic Mennonites of the Noah Hoover group. Upper Barton Creek use to be a unique ...
in
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, where they were joined by some Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonites, who had come to
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
from
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
starting in 1958. Later some of these Mennonites joined the Noah Hoover group. In 1978, they left Snyder County and shifted their center to
Scottsville, Kentucky Scottsville is a home rule-class city in Allen County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,226 during the 2010 U.S. Census. History The site along Bays Fork was settled in 1797 and developed into ...
, where they created their main settlement. In 1987 Noah Hoover Mennonites were located in
Snyder County, Pennsylvania Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County. Snyder County comprises the Selin ...
,
Allen County, Kentucky Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,588. Its county seat is Scottsville. The county is named for Colonel John Allen, a state senator and soldier who was killed leading ...
(near Scottsville) and
Upper Barton Creek Upper Barton Creek is a mixed Mennonite settlement and expats in Cayo District in Belize in the area of the Barton Creek. The Mennonites in Upper Barton Creek are ethnic Mennonites of the Noah Hoover group. Upper Barton Creek use to be a unique ...
in Belize, Central America. They had an associated group in
Huron County, Ontario Huron County is a county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province. The county seat is Goderich, also the county's largest community. The populat ...
. After the death of
Elmo Stoll Elmo Stoll (March 5, 1944 – September 2, 1998) was a former Old Order Amish bishop, writer and founder of the "Christian Communities". He was one of the few Amish who "have risen to prominence over the years".Kevin Williams, Lovina Eicher: ''Am ...
in 1998, the five “Christian Communities” he had founded disbanded. One of these communities, located in
Holland, Kentucky Holland is an unincorporated community in the southeast corner of Allen County, Kentucky, United States. The community, primarily a rural area on farmland, is approximately 10 miles east of Scottsville. A post office was established in the c ...
, joined the Noah Hoover Mennonites, while parts of the community in
Decatur, Tennessee Decatur ( ) is a town in Meigs County, Tennessee, Meigs County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meigs County, Tennessee, Meigs County. History Decatur was founded in May 1836 as a c ...
, moved to
Delano, Tennessee Delano is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Tennessee, United States. It is located near the junction of U.S. Route 411, Tennessee State Route 30 and Tennessee State Route 163 south-southwest of Etowah. Delano has a post office with Z ...
, where they also joined the Noah Hoovers.


Customs and beliefs

Noah Hoover Mennonites believe in the same Mennonite principles as other Old Order Mennonites. Concerning the use of technology the group is the most conservative of all Mennonite groups as they permit no engine power at all. Their
Plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of traditional gender ...
looks very similar to the dress of
Old Order Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite church ...
and since men wear beards, they can easily be taken for Old Order Amish, only the fact that they also wear mustaches distinguishes them from the Amish.Stauffer Mennonite Church
in ''Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online''
They use mostly Standard German for Church and Bible reading, and Pennsylvania German and Plautdietsch (in Belize) in everyday life. English is also used in Church and among some members, but without a general tendency of shifting to English. Stephan Scott writes: Contrary to popular belief Old Order groups do not simply stay as they always have been, but have to struggle in many ways to adapt to the modern world and to preserve traditions, that are important to them. Because the Noah Hoover Mennonites have such a complicated history of splits and mergers, they are unable to rely on tradition in the same way in which other very conservative groups like, e.g., the
Swartzentruber Amish The Swartzentruber Amish are the best-known and one of the largest and most conservative subgroups of Old Order Amish. Swartzentruber Amish are considered a subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry with more li ...
do, so they have had to find out in a longer process how they wish to live. This led to a community, that is more intentionalist minded than ultra traditional. In worldview and practice they show some similarities with the
Orthodox Mennonites The Orthodox Mennonites, also called Wellesley Orthodox Mennonites and Huron Orthodox Mennonites, are two groups of traditional Old Order Mennonites in Canada and the US with about 650 baptized members. Even though plain dress, plain to a very high ...
, with whom they have kept respectful relationship.


Settlements, members and population

In 1961 the Titus Hoover group, from which the Noah Hoovers emerged, had 64 members. Of these members, 43 were of Reformed Amish Christian Church descent. In 1987 the Noah Hoovers had about 150 members and a total population that can be estimated at around 400. Around 1996 the group had approximately 300 members. According to the
Mennonite World Conference The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is a Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. History The first ''Mennonite World Conference'' was held in Basel in 1925. Its main purpose was to celebra ...
, of which the Hoover Mennonites are not a member, they had five congregations in the United States with 400 baptized members and three congregations in Belize with 175 baptized members in 2015. The same numbers were given in 2008/9 by
Donald Kraybill Donald B. Kraybill (born 1945) is an American author, lecturer, and educator on Anabaptist faiths and culture. Kraybill is widely recognized for his studies on Anabaptist groups and in particular the Amish. He has researched and written extensivel ...
. In 2015 the group had the following communities (or church districts or settlements): three in
Allen County, Kentucky Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,588. Its county seat is Scottsville. The county is named for Colonel John Allen, a state senator and soldier who was killed leading ...
(two west of Scottsville and one near
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
), two in Missouri ( Rich Hill and
Richards Richards may refer to: *Richards (surname) In places: * Richards, New South Wales, Australia * Richards, Missouri, United States * Richards, Texas, United States In other uses: * Richards (lunar crater) Richards is a small lunar impact crate ...
), one in Ohio, north of
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
,Edible Ohio: ''Growing Together''
/ref> one in
Delano, Tennessee Delano is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Tennessee, United States. It is located near the junction of U.S. Route 411, Tennessee State Route 30 and Tennessee State Route 163 south-southwest of Etowah. Delano has a post office with Z ...
, and three in Belize. The total population in 2015 was about 2,400 people.


Belize

In 1987, 45 members were living in Belize, where their total population stood at 157. In 2010 their three main Belizean settlements
Upper Barton Creek Upper Barton Creek is a mixed Mennonite settlement and expats in Cayo District in Belize in the area of the Barton Creek. The Mennonites in Upper Barton Creek are ethnic Mennonites of the Noah Hoover group. Upper Barton Creek use to be a unique ...
,
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
and Pine Hill together had a population of 855.


Literature

* Frederick Schrock: ''The Amish Christian Church - Its History and Legacy'', Monterey TN 2001. (In this book 4 of the 16 chapters describe the history of the Titus Hoover and the Noah Hoover group since the merger with the Reformed Amish Christian Church.) * Eric Brende: ''Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology''. (The book describes the Noah Hoover Mennonite Community near Scottsville without mentioning the name of the group.)


See also

* Michigan Amish Churches, an Old Order Amish affiliation that is more evangelical and more open to outsiders than other Old Order Amish affiliations.


References

{{reflist, 2


External links


''Seriously Old School'' at belizebritts.wordpress.com
a description of the Noah Hoovers at Upper Barton Creek
''Horse powered saw mill, Belize'' at Youtube
a video with Noah Hoover Mennonnites.
''Springfield, Belize (Part 2)'' at Youtube
a video about one of their villages. Anabaptism Anabaptist denominations established in the 20th century Christian communities Mennonitism Old Order Mennonites Allen County, Kentucky