---

From Hazelbrush to Cornfields, the First One Hundred Years of the Amish-Mennonites
in Johnson, Washington and Iowa Counties of Iowa, 1846-1946, by Katie Yoder
Lind. Kalona, Iowa: Mennonite Historical Society of Iowa, 1994. 755 pp. $40.

---

It is obvious that Katie Yoder Lind listened to and observed life around her at a very early age. Because of this sensitivity she was able to bridge the gap between her own experience and that of the beginnings of things in the Amish-Mennonite community in the Iowa counties about which she writes.

Several of the author's many interests are covered in this volume. The people are specific people and families. Thus genealogists will find this a gold mine of information on persons who lived or passed through these counties. History -- both Mennonite and secular -- receive her attention. She frequently pauses to list world and local events which took place during the period which she is describing. Her treatment of Mennonite and congregational histories is sparse, not because of lack of interest, but because of lack of space, and because she expects her readers to be familiar with the books already available. The social history of this Iowa community is the author's great delight, and she excels in her descriptions of life on the farm and in the family.

Yoder Lind has divided her study into three major parts. Book I deals with the early settlers, and this part is also divided into chronological eras. She names the pioneers who arrived in each era, gives their stories as completely as she was able to retrieve them, and their genealogies, including certain lines to present generations. Persons for whom the families of these counties are not familiar may find this section somewhat tedious.

Book II continues with those who arrived between 1870 and 1920 in the same form as in Book I, but the new arrivals are fewer and the stories are closer to the author's and her immediate predecessors' experience; so the social history begins to get more thorough treatment. This is the section in which the author's keen observations and literary skills really blossom. Her descriptions of life on the farm are delightful. One wonders whether her memory is playing tricks on her or whether she really did enjoy the farm tasks as her descriptions would indicate she did. Anyone living during the era she describes will certainly be pleased to find their experiences so aptly portrayed. And those who did not experience life on an Iowa farm will, nevertheless, be captivated by her enthusiasm and her excellent word pictures.

Book III again deals with a few newcomers, and very briefly brings the social history into the modern era.

The book contains a number of sketches but few photographs. The genealogical listings contain much space, making them easy to read -- or skip over if the reader is not interested. The wide margins are pleasing, but also add to the bulk of the book with its 755 or more pages.

A two-page map showing specific farm locations about 1872 is a welcome addition. The index, limited to the names of people, is a very complete listing of all the settlers' names and the various pages on which each is found. The bibliography includes many relevant Mennonite church histories and genealogies.

Katie Yoder Lind has done the Iowa Mennonite community a great service in bringing together this anthology of people and their stories. Those of us interested in the genealogies of any of these persons, and those of us who simply enjoy a good story about life in earlier times also thank her.

Lorraine Roth is a retired missionary who has done much genealogical work in recent, focusing on the Amish who immigrated to Ontario from Europe in the 1820s. She has written or edited over a dozen family histories and lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

---

Mennonite Historical Bulletin, October, 1996