Tobias Witmer

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. His inventions included a bicycle wheel made from the wires of an old hoop skirt; a corn sheller; and an automatic railroad switch.

Witmer's poetry in Pennsylvania German received interest in the 1940s as dialect scholar-publisher Preston A. Barba republished a number of his poems and a brief biographical exploration.