Tobias Witmer (October 8, 1816 – August 14, 1897) was an American inventor, spelling reformer, civil engineer, and a notable poet in the Pennsylvania Dutch language. He was also one of the most well known surveyors of the Niagara County, New York region.[1] His inventions included a bicycle wheel made from the wires of an old hoop skirt; a corn sheller; and an automatic railroad switch.[1] For a time, he was a schoolteacher and was one of the founders of the Williamsville Classical Institute, later known as the Williamsville Academy.[2][1]
Witmer's Pennsylvania German poetry was anthologized by Abraham R. Horne and Edward H. Rauch.
He and his twin brother were born in Niagara Falls, New York to a family from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He died in Williamsville, New York.[2]
Bibliography
edit- T. Witmer's patent musical scale, shewing the transpositions of the scale by sharps and flats for the use of singing school teachers (1857)
- A system of phonetic spelling adapted to English and German
- Witmer's phonetic orthography (1880)
- Witmer'z fonografik charts (1881)
References
edit- ^ a b c "Who Was Tobias Witmer?". The Morning Call. July 3, 1948. Retrieved September 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "NIAGARA DISCOVERIES: Twin Witmer brothers led different but distinguished lives". Niagara Gazette. December 8, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2024.