For those of you who haven't heard of my book, here's how it starts out.
Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings Of My Early Years.
Early in the morning, on August 23, 1951, at 2:14 A.M., there was born to Amos C. And Rachel S. Fisher, their sixth son who was also their eighth and final child. They were a very typical Old Order Amish couple with an average number of children. Devout, humble, and hardworking, they raised their family on a 56 acre dairy farm in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Amish community between the sleepy little towns of Intercourse and Gap. When I arrived that morning, I was their only child who had been born in a hospital because I was bigger than any of the others, who were all born at home. No one could know then that I would later become more rebellious toward the ancient Ordnung than any of my siblings and that most Amish people would always consider me to be the "black sheep" of our family.
I was told I was named after two different Amish men, Jonathan King and Jonathan B. Fisher. Mr. King was a close friend of Dad's; his farm was on Cattail Road, about one mile away. They had been childhood friends and attended the same Amish church district. On my eighth birthday, Mr. King gave me a neat little wooden desk that he had made. I have always treasured it and would not consider parting with it.
Jonathan B. Fisher was a distant relative and was known as Traveling Yonie. He was said to be a world traveler which is very unusual for an Amish person. He was born about 1870 in a small house that had been at one end of our cow pasture. The only thing now left of it is a large, three-foot-tall vertical rock protruding from the ground, where cows and horses have rubbed themselves against for approximately the past one hundred years.
In 1934, Traveling Yonie spent nine months traveling around the world by ship, including a long stay in the Holy Lands. A familiar joke at our house (I guess it was a joke) was that one day he left the house and went out the front door as he started his world tour. When he finally arrived back home, he came across the backyard and in through the back door of the house, since he had just circle the globe. Unfortunately, he passed away a long time ago and I never did meet him.
Click below to view the book on Amazon, which includes a free preview of the first seven chapters.