A Short Chronological History of the Geiser Manufacturing Co.
January/February 1970
W. J. Eshleman
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Courtesy of W. J. Eshleman, 722 E. End Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 Peter Geiser Tombstone in Green Hill Cemetery, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
W. J. Eshleman
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722 E. End Ave., Lancaster, Pa.
In the Industrial Revolution of America which spanned the
1800's continuing into the present century, the names of many
deserving pioneer geniuses have been buried in oblivion. If we
could but know the lost details and obscure incidents, many stories
of interest and inspiration would emerge for us today.
The inventor of the grain thresher or separator was one of these
men, but was fortunate to Lave lived to see the fruits of his early
trials and tribulations develop into one of the successful
manufacturers of farm and forest machinery.
I refer to Peter Geiser, whose grandson, Robert Geiser of
Waynesboro, Pa. recently discovered the autobiography of his
grandfather and had it published. In order to complete the Geiser
data of later years it was necessary to connect the thresher with
the steam engine.
On March 6, 1826, at Smithburg, Washington County, Md., was born
Peter Geiser, a son of Daniel Geiser of Swiss-German heritage. His
mother's name was Singer, of the famous sewing machine
family.
In the Green Hill Cemetery of Waynesboro, Pa. stands a modest
tombstone with the following inscription: PETER GEISER March 6,
1826 - March 18, 1901 Inventor of World's First Threshing
Machine 1848 Founder of Waynesboro's First Industry 1852 In the
light of the autobiography data the last line would appear to be
open to some question.
There is no question that Peter Geiser was one of the great
inventors of the age, and should rank along with Cyrus McCormick,
John Deere and a host of others. Let us look at the record and make
a comparison. John Deere is credited with inventing the steel plow.
So now we can plant the grain. Cyrus McCormick is credited with
inventing the reaper. So now we can harvest the grain, but we still
had no mechanical method of threshing the grain, until the advent
of Peter Geiser who did invent the grain thresher.
To those who question this we will also give some of the
evolution of the reaper. At Union Bridge, Md., a state marker
records that in the year of 1811 Jacob Thomas demonstrated a reaper
on the adjoining farm. 'Britannica', issue of 1895,
mentions Obed Hussey of Ohio as having a reaper with the first
sickle knife running through a guard mechanism. Tradition states
that a young man named Cyrus McCormick, from Steeles Tavern,
Virginia, had been to Ohio. He adapted the reaper knife principle
to his machine which he demonstrated successfully in the year 1832.
And who, today, would dare to question Cyrus McCormick as the
inventor of the reaper?
From the account of Peter Geiser, he copied no one, since he was
a poor farm boy with little money and no means of travel, but with
a desire to make labor easier by the invention of machinery. In
this task he endured personal hardship with no encouragement from
anyone. There was no subsidized school for budding engineers, no
welfare programs, no small business loans. He, like so many other
true Americans never gave a thought to failure. Although Peter
Geiser did wear a beard, and his father was not in exact sympathy
with his modern ideas, he did not complain of a generation gap and
whine that no one understood him or groan that the establishment
was unfair. Of course, it then too merited respect.
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