Origin

The Amish religion first began in 1693 when the leader, Jakob Ammann, along with many other Anabaptists branched off and made their own religion. These people mainly consisted of Swiss people but there was also places in France and Germany that joined the beliefs.
Jakob Ammann had drifted off of the beliefs of Menno Simmons and the Dordrecht Confession of Faith. He had wanted the church to be more strict in ways of excommunicated members, shunning and church discipline. This is what split the church and the Amish came to be.
Amish and Amish Mennonite are closely related and share many similarities. Often if a person is shunned out of the Amish they will join the Amish Mennonites.
It was in the 18th centurary that the Amish Mennonites started to migrate to Pennsylvania and other places in the United Sates and Canada. Then later the Amish followed and joined the Amish Mennonites in the States and Canada.