From Dawn to Dusk: Memoirs of an Amish Mennonite Farm Boy

by Will Troyer

A nostalgic look at farm life during the Depression. The Amish family lived a modest lifestyle until they became Mennonites and acquired electricity and a car. Threshing, butchering, making apple butter and farming with horses are fond memories of the author.

Genres: Amish, Memoir

Paperback

Published August 1, 2003

About the author

Will Troyer was born into an Amish farm family in 1925 near Kokomo, Indiana. He received a BS degree in Wildlife Studies at Oregon State College in 1952, and an MS from Montana State University in 1962. During a 30-year career with the Department of the Interior, he served as refuge manager of the Kodiak and Kenai National Wildlife Refuges, conducting research studies on brown bear, moose, caribou, bald eagles and trumpeter swans. As a pilot, he flew wildlife surveys in many remote regions of Alaska. After retiring, Will and his wife, LuRue, lived in a wilderness log home they built themselves in Cooper Landing, Alaska.

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Troyer is my uncle, so this book was interesting for the family history it provides. (My dad is the youngest of seven children; Will was the third.) But beside that, I think Will is a fascinating person and he does a great job of detailing his early life in this book. He gives a bit of background on the Amish, then tells tales from his youth. This book is written the same way Will talks, very straightforward, nothing over-sentimentalized.

Reread to my sons (11 & 13), who really enjoyed the glimpse into their family history and all the humor.