The Pennsylvania Dutch Plain and Fancy

Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group formed by German speaking immigrants and their descendants to Pennsylvania. The first major emigration of Germans to America resulted in the founding of the Borough of Germantown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683.

These early settlers eventually combined to form the Pennsylvania Dutch. Dutch meaning people from southwestern Germany not just people from the Netherlands although they are included in this group of settlers. This began in the late 17th century and ended in the late 18th century. Most of these immigrants originated from Southwestern Germany to follow the offer from William Penn for Freedom Of Religion.

Some prominent groups were Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg along with Alsatians, Dutch...meaning dutch people of the Netherlands, French Huguenots (French Protestants), Moravians from Bohemia and Moravia, and Swiss.

By 1712, the French Huguenot settlers had secured land in Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County’s Pequea Valley. They were the first to live with King Tawana, Chief of five nations and the local Indians.

The Pennsylvania Dutch have numerous religious affiliations that being of Lutheran, Reformed, Evangelical, Catholic, Moravian, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, Amish, Schwenkfelder, River Brethren, Yorker Brethren with the greatest number being Lutheran or Reformed and many Anabaptists as well.

After extensive research, interviewing  and exploring... my thoughts and opinion conclude to be that there is a major difference between the Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish people mostly due to religion.

Plain Dutch or the Amish and Mennonites are known to be more from the area of Baden-Württemberg side of Germany and are community of strict Christian faith characterized by simple plain living including plain clothes usually in solid earthy colors and do not like drawing attention to themselves. Plain church buildings or no church buildings as they just meet in group at a member’s home to worship. These are the Amish and the Mennonite, consumed only of the Anabaptist religion. Many Plain Dutch reside in Lancaster County, PA and all have an Anabaptist background, believing you should be baptized as an adult when you understand what it means to be baptized. They consider that age to be 14 years old, they are finished with education at that age and are almost an adult in the eyes of their community.

Fancy Dutch are known to be more from the area of the Netherlands and Rhineland-Palatinate side of Germany, the French Europeans. Most were of Catholic faith and at that time they did not belong to the Anabaptist churches. They were baptized during infancy. Residing mostly in Berks County, PA they do not wear plain clothing like the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite. Fancy Dutch adapted well into the American way of life and chose to go with it. Through most of the 19th Century and today the Fancy Dutch far outnumber the Plain Dutch. Today most Pennsylvania German speaking residents are only of Plain Dutch mostly Amish and Mennonite, while the Fancy Dutch have converted into the larger culture of the US population and you really don’t know who they are anymore.