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 Pennsylvania Dutch (, or ) or Pennsylvania German is a Variety (linguistics), variety of Palatine German dialects, Palatine German spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Amish, Mennonites, Fancy Dutch, and other related groups in the U ...

. He was also one of the most well known surveyors of the

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...

region. His inventions included a bicycle wheel made from the wires of an old

hoop skirt A hoop skirt or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape. It originated as a modest-sized mechanism for holding long skirts away from one's legs, to stay cooler in hot clim ...

; a corn sheller; and an automatic railroad switch. For a time, he was a schoolteacher and was one of the founders of the Williamsville Classical Institute, later known as the Williamsville Academy. 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 Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

to a family from

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States ...

. He died in

Williamsville, New York Williamsville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 5,423 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler. It is part of the Buffalo- ...

Bibliography

*''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)

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External links

Map of the Inner Lots in Buffalo Village Compiled & Drawn from the original Deed Books of the Holland Land Co. by Tobias Witmer Surveyor Civil Engineer, 1858.Map of the Village of Tonawanda in the Counties of Erie and Niagara. Map #468
Tobis Witmer, surveyor
Grave
in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witmer, Tobias 1816 births 1897 deaths American poets American writers in Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch culture People from Niagara Falls, New York

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