As the Midwest was becoming open to settlers, hearty souls began to travel farther west. In searching for new lands to settle, four men of the Amish, Daniel S. Miller, Preacher Joseph Miller, Nathan Smiley, and Joseph Speicher from Somerset County, Pennsylvania, traveled to the Iowa territory and returned by the way of Indiana in 1840. Although they were happy with the land in Iowa they were unhappy with the reports of the "fever and ague" . They found that Elkhart County in Indiana was to their liking and the following year began the Amish migration from Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The church grew quickly as more Amish families came from Somerset County, and Holmes County, Ohio. Our own Michael Sr. and wife Elizabeth arrived in the middle to late 1840’s from Wayne County, Ohio.

Now begins a chain of events that we will spend some time on in order to understand why our family may have drifted away from the Amish. Without some understanding of the Amish and their history, the following treatise would have little meaning. For that reason the lengthy history of the Anabaptists was given earlier. Some attention will be given to Amish practices and lifestyle including some of the people involved in the Schism of 1854. The reader must pay particular attention to details if they wish to understand the complexities of this critical time in Amish history and how it relates to the story of our family.

For the Amish their religion is the governing body for life. Simplicity, in nearly every aspect of life is practiced so as not to appear "worldly". Everything from the paint on the house to the cut of the hair must reflect humility and come under the scrutiny of the Ordnung. Many other facets of Amish life come under the direction of this "code". Anyone choosing not to adhere to the Ordnung may be subject to the "Ban" and is shunned until such time the infraction is mended and a complete and sincere reconciliation is made to the church.

When the Amish arrived in America they had little choice to maintain their life of humility, although they enjoyed freedom from persecution and the benefits of land ownership, life was hard. Because many of the families were disseminated, congregational organization and discipline were difficult for traveling Bishops to perform churchly necessities. Many families lost sons to the power of "freedom" leaving only one or two children to stay in the Amish faith. A century later some of the Amish brethren began to benefit from the toils of their labor and began to show signs worldliness. These "outward" showing of prosperity and worldliness were enough of concern that they were noted at the ministers’ meeting in Somerset County under the Discipline of 1837.

So in the 1850’s a difference of desired lifestyles compelled some Amishmen to seek a somewhat less restrictive style of life and to advocate new church practices. These practices were to be the rallying point for changes that would touch lives of Amish families across the country. Two church leaders who likely influenced our family as well as many others were Isaac Schmucker and Jonas D. Troyer.

Isaac Schmucker was the nephew of our Michael Stutzman Sr. Isaac was born September 29, 1810 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and married Sarah Troyer June 10, 1832 in Holmes County Ohio. He was ordained a preacher in Knox County, Ohio in 1838. Isaac lived in Wayne County, Ohio before he moved to Knox Co. possibly near Smithville, Green Township where Michael is listed in the census records of 1830. Isaac went with his family to Clinton Township, Indiana in November of 1841 and helped Preacher Joseph Miller assemble a congregation in Miller’s home. In 1843 Isaac was ordained a Bishop. He moved to McLean County, Illinois and lived there a short time from March 1851 to August of 1852 and returned to Indiana where he spent the rest of his life in Haw Patch (Topeka) where he died in 1893. Isaac seemed to be an advocate of the "meetinghouse", an idea that was opposed by some as much as stream baptism. While in Illinois he helped organize the building of a meetinghouse, and within two years after his return to Indiana a meetinghouse was built at Haw Patch.

Jonas D. Troyer was the second cousin of Isaac Schmucker’s wife Sarah. He was born in Holmes County, Ohio February 11, 1811. Jonas arrived in Indiana as a preacher in 1854 and very soon after his arrival Isaac ordained him as a Bishop. His daughter Barbara married Isaac Stutzman, the son of Michael and Elizabeth Stutzman on January 1, 1861 in Goshen. He served the Clinton Frame congregation for about ten years advocating stream baptism. He then removed to Starke County, Indiana in 1864, working a farm near Eagle Lake. He moved to Tennessee for a short time where his wife Elizabeth (Mishler) Troyer died. He returned to Indiana where he served the Amish Mennonite church as needed in Elkhart County. Jonas was listed in the Elkhart County History as a Bishop in 1881 of the Forks congregation. He died October 7, 1897.

Stream baptism came to be a controversial topic among the Amish in the middle 1800’s. As stated earlier baptisms among the Amish and Mennonites occur only when the individual has attained an age to understand the commitment to their faith. The baptism traditionally took place in the home and the controversy started when a few bishops introduced baptisms with people standing in a stream. This did not set well with many of the conservatives who may have been of the same thinking as David Beiler that [baptism "in water" (in a house) is as scriptural as baptism "in water" (kneeling in a stream). So why not simply abide by the time honored procedure, he argued, and avoid strife and ill will?] Some of those bishops who advocated stream baptism were Jonas D. Troyer, Jacob Yoder and Solomon Beiler (Solomon Beiler possibly being the influence for the other two). Interestingly David and Solomon Beiler were brothers but were on opposing sides of the controversy. Michael Stutzman Sr.’s daughter Lydia, was married to Jacob Yoder. Jacob came to the Wooster congregation (later Oak Grove) Wayne County, Ohio about 1847 and possibly introduced the idea of stream baptism to that congregation. Christian Schantz, bishop of that congregation, performed what may have been the first stream baptism in an Amish congregation in the spring of 1848. Around that same time Jacob was ordained a minister, accepting the ordination with the stipulation that he is allowed to perform baptisms in the local creek if at such time he became a full minister (bishop). Not long after his ordination, the congregation promoted him to the office of bishop. Bishop Yoder began to teach a new interpretation of "The Fall of Man" that was not in keeping with the traditional Amish interpretation, this along with charges of social misconduct eventually led to the silencing of Jacob Yoder in his ministry. In 1858 Lydia died and he ultimately went bankrupt. Jacob then went to Indiana in an attempt to join the Clinton Congregation but was disqualified. He eventually joined the Church of the Brethren. In 1878, Jacob joined his wife Lydia, dying suddenly while plowing in his field.

All of these issues were concerns of our family. They were in the midst of the controversies of the time. We can be reasonably sure that Michael moved to Elkhart County, Indiana in 1848 or at least by 1850, as he appears in the 1850 Indiana census for Clinton Township, Elkhart County with his second wife Elizabeth Blough. The children that are listed in this census are John 19, Susanna 17, Jacob 15, Leah 13, Isaac 12, and Abraham 10. All these children moved westward after they became adults with the exception of Abraham and Leah who stayed in Indiana. All the boys from Michael’s first marriage to Hanna Yoder (Johnathan, Joseph, and Michael Jr.) came to Indiana including one of his daughters, Elizabeth who married Christian Berkey. Our Joseph’s mother and father (Michael Jr. and Barbara) along with their first child Susanna, are only two pages away in the 1850 census.

Michael must surely have affiliated with the Clinton Congregation and likely he was sympathetic to the progressive movements of his nephew Isaac Schmucker and Jonas D. Troyer, the father of his son’s wife. So much so that on August 10, 1863 Michael and wife Elizabeth conveyed an acre of ground from his 80 acres in the southwest corner of section sixteen, Clinton Township to the church trustees. The property was to be used for the purpose of erecting a Meetinghouse, which was built later that same year. The Amish worship (then as they do now) in the home or for larger gatherings in dwellings such as barns. Many Amish homes had an open floor plans so that when a particular family’s turn came to be host for the service, all the furniture could be moved out of the way providing room for seating of the congregation. Many new congregations were started because the size was dependent on how many worshipers could fit comfortably in the home. Meetinghouses were controversial at the time and one of the proponents of them was Isaac Schmucker. Isaac as stated earlier returned from Illinois settling near Haw Patch (Topeka) and in 1854 founding the Haw Patch Amish Mennonite Congregation. The congregation built the first meeting mouse in Indiana. Another congregation, which was served by the same ministers as the Clinton congregation for a time, was the Forks; they too built a meetinghouse in 1863.

Upon the arrival of Preacher Jonas D. Troyer to Indiana in 1854, Isaac Schmucker ordained him to the office of Bishop. Jonas was considered to be "change-minded" as well and in keeping with other congregations in Ohio and Pennsylvania advocated "stream baptism." Jonas had a "tough row to hoe" for in 1854 there began a separation between the conservatives and the progressive thinkers. Jonas [was charged with tolerating expensive clothing and worldly adornments in his congregation, the holding of worldly (civil) offices, engagement in all kinds of commercial activities, and "the wisdom of the world."] It is not certain if there was a specific cause for the original 1854 Schism in Indiana or if it was just the changing times throughout America because many other congregations were experiencing similar troubles concerning "worldliness". Was it meetinghouses and stream baptism or was it the enticement of labor saving devices, introduced by the era called the industrial revolution? The two Bishops of the area Isaac Schmucker and Jonas D. Troyer along with many of the Amish families felt that it was unnecessary to maintain unchanged the "Old Order" of the Amish Mennonite faith resulting in the formation of the Amish Mennonite faith. By 1857 there was a distinction between the "Old Order Amish" Church and the Amish Mennonite Church of which many of our family members became a part. The latter was being the more progressive faction.

Isaac Schmucker and Jonas D. Troyer, although were proponents for change in the Amish church they still were strong believers in their faith. Both wore the distinctive beard and Isaac showed the outward appearance of an Old Order Amish member. Jonas felt that, at least ministers ought to wear beards. Both of these men are credited with the founding of the Amish Mennonite Church in Indiana. It has not been written but the brief researching that I have done about these two men left me to believe that they had their faith and congregations at heart in the changes they brought about. Any lesser men that attempted to do what they accomplished may have failed with miserable consequences. Isaac lived the remainder of his life in Haw Patch later to be called Maple Grove, dying November 16, 1893, and is buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery. Jonas served the Clinton Frame congregation for about a decade then moved to a farm near Starke County, Indiana serving the small Amish Mennonite community there. Jonas then moved to Coffee County Tennessee where his wife of about twenty-two years passed away in 1885. Not staying long in Tennessee, he then returned to Elkhart County, Indiana serving as Bishop for the communities as needed. The Clinton Frame and Forks congregations provided financial support for him in his "old age". Jonas died October 7, 1897.

Following is short biographies for children of Michael and Hannah (Yoder) Stutzman. Although children of Michael and Elizabeth (Blough) Stutzman settled in the area and had a considerable contribution, time and resources limited the search for their connections at this time.

Johnathan B. Stutzman – In The History Of Elkhart County Indiana originally written in 1881, Johnathan is listed as a farmer and stock-raiser in Millersburg. Millersburg is southeast of Goshen, Indiana and likely the post office at that time for those living in the area around northern Clinton Township. On a plat map of northern Clinton Township in 1874, a J. B. Stutsman is shown as landowner of 100 acres of lands adjoining D. Bender. The 79 acres of land owned by Mr. Bender is where the Clinton Frame Meetinghouse was located and the land Michael and Elizabeth had once owned. Just west of here is another 77 ¼ acres of land owned by a J. B. Stutzman, likely but not certain the same man. Johnathan’s daughter Mary (Polly) married Joseph Kauffman and after his death she was the second wife of Jonathan P. Smucker, the grandson of Christian and Elizabeth (Stutzman) Schmucker and son of Issac Schmucker, Bishop and one of the first settlers of the area. Johnathan is mentioned in The Amish in America: Settlements That Failed 1840 – 1969 by David Luthy as marrying Fannie Bachman on Feb. 3, 1842 by Christian Schantz in Wayne County Ohio.

Joseph M. Stutzman – This is likely who our Joseph M. Stutzman was named after. Joseph is shown on the plat map of northern Clinton Township at the same time as his brother Johnathan B.

Elizabeth Stutzman – Jonas D. Troyer was a man that advocated meetinghouses and stream baptism. He was the founder of the Clinton Frame Amish Mennonite Church. This likely was the church our family affiliated with as Michael and second wife Elizabeth conveyed the property for the meetinghouse. The area was the home of several Stutzman’s, some being sons of Michael and first wife Hannah. Bishop Jonas D. also had a small following after the Civil War in Starke County, Indiana, about fifty miles southwest of Clinton Township. J. C. Wenger in his book The Mennonites In Indiana And Michigan describes the small settlement and some of the families that lived and died there. One of those men that died there was Christian Berkey in 1870, the first of three husbands to Elizabeth, marrying about 1835. Interestingly, David, the last child born to Michael Jr. and Barbara (Stuckey) Stutzman was born in Starke County on January 6, 1871. One could assume our Joseph (only 12 years old) and his family moved here from Iowa sometime before this date. Elizabeth’s husband only died the previous November. Could it be that Michael Jr. and his family moved from their home in Iowa to come to the assistance of his sister? We can only guess at this point. The graveyard where Christian Berkey is called the "New Omish Mennonite Graveyard". There is no trace left of the meetinghouse, and the graveyard sets atop a small hill with the only sign of anything ever being there, is a dilapidated outhouse. Elizabeth later married John F. Miller and Solomon Eash, both men she outlived.

Sarah Stutzman – Not much is known about Sarah, other than she too married a man named Christian Berkey. This man however was born in Alsace, France. There were many who came from Alsace in the early 1800’s which is said to have been the second migration of Amish to come to America. Emanuel, the son of Abraham, married Catherine Berkey who was born in Basil, Alsace, France. Although no connection can be made with the available information, one could assume that these people were brother and sister.

Lydia Stutzman – Lydia was married to quite a controversial figure in Amish Mennonite history, Jacob Yoder. Christian Schantz ordained Jacob a minister after arriving in Wayne County, Ohio, but only after the congregation agreed to allow him to perform stream baptisms after he became bishop. It a speculated that Jacob brought the idea of stream baptism with him to Wayne County. Much was written about Jacob’s trials and tribulations while a minister and bishop in Paton Yoder’s book Tradition & Transition. History has dealt with Jacob somewhat harshly as was given in David Luthy’s Book, The Amish In America: Settlements That Failed 1840 – 1960 on page 341, [He was a dealer in horses and mules, hence a "horse Jockey." His shrewdness in trading horses failed to enhance his reputation as a minister. Nor did the feats he boasted about, such as the time he drove home from Wooster a mule team hitched to a sled with which he raced a train. He made the seven miles to Weilersville in less time than the locomotive! Furthermore, Yoder went bankrupt, according to David Troyer, after he "carried on rather high in the world, owned much property, employed many people, and in a few years nearly everything was gone." When he failed financially "rather many people came out on the short end," an obvious eventuality in a day when most or one’s borrowing was done from fellow church members. He was also charged with social misconduct.] Jacob went bankrupt about the same time as Lydia’s death (1857-58). He eventually lost his ministry and came to Indiana. He tried to join with the Clinton Frame congregation, which likely put Jonas D. Troyer in an awkward position but the Wooster congregation disqualified Jacob’s membership to this church and he joined the Church of the Brethren. Jacob died in Indiana, while plowing his field in 1878.

Michael Stutzman – Michael is the father of our Joseph M. Stutzman. He was born in Mifflin County Pennsylvania and spent his youth in Wayne County, Ohio. There is two land deeds obtained from the Bureau of Land Management that show a Michael Stutzman purchasing land in sections 7 and 8 in northern Clinton Township totaling 120 acres of land. The patent was made May 10, 1848. Both he and his father appear in the 1850 census in Clinton Township. Michael married Barbara Stuckey in 1849 and is shown with a new arrival to their family, Susan in the 1850 census, two pages from his father. Materials left by J. S. Hartzler at the archives of the Mennonite Church at Goshen College reveal from notes of Huber Yoder that Barbara was born in Canada and later went to Mifflin County to work. While there, she met Michael, married him and moved to with him to Indiana. This likely was not the case since Michael was born in 1822 and then he moved with his family from Mifflin County to Smithville, Ohio about 1827. So if any of the story has merit, then Barbara went to Smithville to work and met Michael there, then they moved to Indiana where they were married. Little information is available as to Barbara’s ancestry. In the 1860 census, two men, Christian and David Stuckey are listed with their birthplace in Canada and living in Lagrange County, Greenfield Township. Could these be brothers of Barbara? Sometime between 1857 and 1859, Michael and Barbara left for Iowa. They are found in the 1860 census for Johnson County, Sharon Township living near John I. Plank and John Kemp. Here they lived for just over ten years, where three of their oldest daughters married, staying in western states. Michael and Barbara then moved back to Indiana where their last child David was born in Starke County. Interestingly, this is the county in which Jonas D. Troyer was to have lived and ministered the "Waldenzer" church on the Starke/Marshall county line. Another point to mention is that Michael’s brother-in-law is to have died here and buried in the "New Omish Mennonite Graveyard". The area here is not typical of the flat open area around Elkhart and Lagrange counties. The land in this area has rolling hills and is abundant in second growth trees. More research of the area history will be needed in order to confirm my suspicion that these people were farmers second and lumbermen first. In February of 1880, the daughter of Michael and Barbara married what was to be an influential man in the church, Jonas S. Hartzler. Fannie was living in Wakarusa, according to Wenger in his book The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan which is a clue that when the settlement died in Starke county, the family may have moved to this area. Eventually our Joseph made his way to Michigan by 1883 showing up on a property deed for forty acres. Michael and Barbara are found in the area too purchasing property in 1885, which was an acre of ground that he and Joseph, Jacob R. Kauffman, and David S. Springer purchased becoming Fairview Cemetery. By the spring of 1888 we now find Michael and Barbara living in Nebraska. Likely they left northern Michigan about the same time as Joseph and John Troyer who lived in the Bellaire area owning and operating a sawmill and lumber business. A hired researcher in Nebraska has gathered much information concerning this Troyer family. The date of return to Indiana has not been determined but in 1897 Michael died near Goshen and Barbara is found in the 1900 census, living with daughter and son-in-law, Anna and E. C. Yoder. Barbara, at the time of here death in 1907 was living with Jonas and Fannie Hartzler.

Hannah Stutzman – Little is known about Hannah other than she married Steven Lantz about 1844 and he died in 1878 in Marshall County Indiana. She lived until 1906 dying in Wayne County Ohio, likely living with one of her 13 children.