Yates County, New York: History
In 1790 the Public Universal Friend and their society moved to the area from their original base in Rhode Island, forming a community at New Jerusalem, south west of Penn Yan, where The Friend's house can still be seen.
In 1974 a new Mennonite settlement was started in Yates County. It grew quickly and steadily and with a population of more than 3,000 in 2015 it was almost as large as the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania settlement.