Investigating the Internal Dynamics of the Old Order Migration Process
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Circle Letters, Produce Auctions, and Softball Games: Investigating the Internal Dynamics of the Old Order Migration Process A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Kenneth D. Shonkwiler May 2014 © 2014 Kenneth D. Shonkwiler. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Circle Letters, Produce Auctions, and Softball Games: Investigating the Internal Dynamics of the Old Order Migration Process by KENNETH D. SHONKWILER has been approved for the Department of Geography and the College of Arts and Sciences by Timothy G. Anderson Associate Professor of Geography Robert Frank Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT SHONKWILER, KENNETH D., M.A, May 2014. Geography Circle Letter, Produce Auctions, and Softball Games: Investigating the Internal Dynamics of the Old Order Migration Process Director of Thesis: Timothy G. Anderson Currently, the Old Order Anabaptist population is one of the fastest growing religious groups in the United States. As members decide to continue with their socio- religious traditions, they become faced with the heightened possibility of migrating to a new settlement area, leaving the communities in which their groups have inhabited for close to two centuries. Semi-structured interviews and one oral history were carried out with thirteen members of a newly formed Stauffer Mennonite community in Ohio. Results of this study revealed that social networks were instrumental in the migration process. Strong personal ties characterized their network connections, providing ethnically-specific resources, information, and entrance into the destination area. Through their social status within the community, “pioneer” migrants acted with relative degrees of agency within the network connections of subsequent individuals, regardless of their own connection to individuals. For many individuals, their connectivity with other spaces and places developed as a result of the migration process, creating translocal spaces of communication amongst members. Aspects of locality became manifested in the landscape through place-making practices of migrants as well. 4 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to Kenneth Estle, whose thoughts and discussions have always pointed me in the right direction. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Several acknowledgements need to be made to the persons who assisted me in my time while conducting this thesis. First, I would like to thank Kenneth Estle. Without his assistance with regards to meeting some of the participants, this thesis would not have been possible. His kind words and thoughtful discussions assisted me throughout the process, as they have throughout life. Second, I wish to thank my advisor, Dr. Timothy G. Anderson, who devoted countless hours to the process. His advice, direction, and intellect allowed for the creation of this thesis. I cannot imagine how this thesis would have been finished in the manner that it was without his assistance. Next, I would like to thank my family for the assistance that they provided while I did my fieldwork. Without their help, I would have not been able to conduct the interviewing process. Finally, I wish to thank Ariadna, whose emotional support and assistance carried me through the many hours spent writing this document. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9 Background ............................................................................................................... 9 Purpose of Study and Research Questions.............................................................. 11 Significance............................................................................................................. 12 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................... 13 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 20 Participants ............................................................................................................ 20 Procedure .............................................................................................................. 21 Interview Design and Transcription...................................................................... 23 Recruitment Method of Participants ..................................................................... 25 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 28 Chapter One: Literature Review ....................................................................................... 30 Old Order Groups of North America ................................................................... 30 7 Migration Systems, Social Networks, Pioneer Agency, and Translocalism......... 54 Chapter Two: Social Networks and the Stauffer Mennonite Migration Experience ........ 75 Recognizing Structural Factors and Network Influence Simultaneously………. 76 Relying on Strong Ties…………………………………………………………..86 Migrant Resources…………………………………………………………….....98 Communicating Strong Ties……………………………………………………103 Summary………………………………………………………………………..110 Chapter Three: The Roles of Pioneers ............................................................................ 115 Being the First…………………………………………………………………..116 Iterational Engagement of Former Place……………………………………….124 Network Roles………………………………………………………………….134 Summary………………………………………………………………………..136 Chapter Four: Translocal Spaces of Home ................................................................. …142 Constructing the Home…………………………………………………………143 Transcending the Boundaries of Home Across Locales………..………..……..150 Work and Translocal Conceptualizations of Locality…………………….........155 Summary………………………………………………………………………..168 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 172 References ....................................................................................................................... 178 8 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Map of Settlement Area .................................................................................13 Figure 2: Buyers outside auction ....................................................................................14 Figure 3a: Large Buyers..................................................................................................15 Figure 3b: Local and regional buyers .............................................................................15 Figure 4: Stauffer wagons outside auction......................................................................15 Figure 5: Businesses .......................................................................................................16 Figure 6a: Country Store .................................................................................................17 Figure 6b: Crafts Unlimited ............................................................................................17 Figure 7: Side jobs ..........................................................................................................17 Figure 8: Settlement Growth ...........................................................................................19 Figure 9: Amy’s Craft Store .........................................................................................158 Figure 10: Beth’s Fabric Store ......................................................................................161 Figure 11: Market Signs................................................................................................162 Figure 12: Wagons at Produce Auction ........................................................................166 9 INTRODUCTION Background Old-Order religious groups today occupy a distinctive place in the popular culture of the United States. Most people in rural Ohio and Pennsylvania have had some sort of encounter with a member of a conservative Anabaptist community; whether at a farmer’s market or on a dirt road in the countryside, members of these conservative Anabaptist groups have managed to live “apart” from the outside world while at the same time interacting with it in certain ways. Popular television programs and national news organizations have even featured these unique populations as subjects of their programming. They are widely regarded as being plain, simple folk who reside in the rural countryside where they can carry on their traditional “horse-and-buggy lifestyle.” However, certain aspects of their society, such as their rejection of modern technology, are over-emphasized to the point that much else has been largely ignored. Old- Order Anabaptist populations are highly diverse and are in fact comprised of dozens of groups, each distinguished