Where they Amish or Mennonite? or some type of made up spin off?

They're Amish-ish

I think a separate cult or whatever, I've never known them to refer to the Amish country as a "compound" that's like a hippie or Mormon (not all) kind of expression. But who knows

Neither. It’s like the writer was trying to make them look Amish but had no clue who or what it is to be Amish.