Stories Behind The Marketplace’s Amish Families

David Yoder was born and raised near Port Washington, Ohio. His wife, Rebecca, was born about 50 miles to the North in Wayne County, Ohio. Rebecca’s family moved to Minnesota when Rebecca was 4 months old and she grew up weaving baskets in Minnesota. When Rebecca was 13 years old her family moved and settled in our Amish community here on the border between Iowa and Missouri. David grew up in his own basket-weaving family near Port Washington, Ohio until his family also moved to our Amish community. Both David and Rebecca’s families were weaving baskets here on separate farms that were situated a short distance from each other. It was not to long after David’s family initially settled into our community that David and Rebecca met. At the age of 20, David married Rebecca who was 19 at the time. Since both David and Rebecca’s families had been involved in the tradition of weaving baskets from before each of them were born, they now feel a special calling to continue and pass down their family’s tradition of basket weaving to their children.

Jacob Gingerich was born near Essex, Tennessee. While Jacob was a boy, his family moved from Tennessee to an Amish community near Kidron, Ohio. The Gingerich family was involved in farming while they lived in Ohio. Jacob’s wife, Cevilla, was born and raised in the Kidron, Ohio area and that is where she and Jacob met and were married. Both Jacob and Cevilla were aware of other families sustaining themselves through weaving baskets but, with several other Amish families involved in the craft around their Ohio community, the opportunity to practice the art of weaving baskets was not practical. In 1999, Jacob’s twin brother urged Jacob and Cevilla to move to our Amish community located here on the border between Iowa and Missouri. Jacob’s brother told Jacob about the other basket weaving families that had already relocated to our community and were weaving baskets. The Gingerich family felt the calling to move to our community to take up the craft. With the help and support of other families in the community, the Gingeriches have become masterful basket artisans and started their family tradition of weaving baskets which they are passing down to their children and soon to their grandchildren.

Phineas and Rosa both grew up in an Amish community near Kahoka, Missouri, located in Northeastern Missouri. Over 20 Years ago, Rosa’s family moved from Kahoka to a larger Amish community in Southeastern Minnesota. It was in this Amish community in Minnesota where Rosa became acquainted with Rebecca Yoder’s family. (Rebecca’s family had been weaving baskets for many years at that time, and they have now also moved to our local community and continue to weave baskets here.) Rosa and Phineas were married in that same Amish community in Minnesota. Shortly after they were married, Phineas and Rosa moved across the Minnesota border to a small farm near Elkader, Iowa, in Northeastern Iowa. Phineas and Rosa’s family continued to grow on their small farm. Nearly a decade ago, they moved their family to their current home on a larger farm located in our local Amish community on the border of Iowa and Missouri. The Mast family has held the craft of weaving high-quality baskets close to their hearts since their days in Minnesota and look forward to their children, and soon their grandchildren continuing the tradition of creating high-quality wicker woven baskets.