Biographical Sketch of Peter Theiss, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Peter Theiss, proprietor of the "Prospect Hill Dairy and Stock Farm," was born in 1860 in Southern Germany, the son of John and Margaret (Kunsig) Theiss, both of whom were natives of Germany and are now de- ceased. Mr. Theiss has one brother and two sisters in the old country, John, Jr., Elizabeth and Katherine, and two brothers in America: Henry, who resides at Wheeling, West Virginia; and Jacob, who at present is in the Klondike region in the northwest territories of Canada, where the richest gold fields in the world are located. In 1887, Peter Theiss emigrated from Germany and came to America, locating for a short time in Marietta, Ohio from which city he went to Denver, Colorado, where he remained two years. From Denver, Mr. Theiss came to Missouri and lived for some time in Kansas City, coming thence to Warrensburg, in which city he has ever since resided. When Peter Theiss landed in America, he had but five dollars in his pocket, which constituted his entire capital with which to start life in the new and strange land. In the autumn, of the year in which he came to Warrensburg, after being emp- loyed for several months in work on the Magnolia Opera House, Peter Theiss entered partnership with Gottlieb Leichhammer in the bakery business. They erected a brick building, to be used for the bakery, which placed them in debt one thousand dollars. Within a very brief time, Jacob Leichhammer left Warrensburg, his partner, Peter Theiss, to pay the debt. Life did not look very bright or hopeful in those days, which were burdened with debt, but Mr. Theiss never knew the meaning of the word "failure" and steadily pushed ahead until the debt was paid and the building traded for forty acres of land in Johnson county, which small farm is a part of his present splendid stock farm of 137 acres of valuable land, which comprises the "Prospect Hill Dairy and Stock Farm." In 1897, Peter Theiss purchased the 27 acres of land, upon which his residence is located. He devotes a part of his time and attention to the raising of hogs usually having on the farm 100 head of fine stock annually. At the time of this writing, in 1917, Mr. Theiss has fifty head of cattle. In 1890 Peter Theiss was united in marriage with Anna Giersig, the daughter of John and Theresia (Klein) Giersig, of Warrensburg, Missouri. Both parents of Mrs. Theiss are now deceased. John Giersig was a stonecutter by trade, but after coming to Johnson county, Missouri in 1884, he engaged in farming. The Giersig family was well known and very highly respected in this county, as honest, in- dustrious, capable citizens. To Peter and Anna (Giersig) Theiss have been born nine children: Henry Adolph, of Warrensburg, Missouri; Mary Elizabeth; Sophia Katherine; William John; John Peter, who died at the age of eight years and six months; Francis Joseph; Anna Magdalene; Karl Antonio; and Louis George. With the exception of the oldest son, the remaining seven children are at home with their parents. The dairy business was started at "Prospect Hill Dairy and Stock Farm" in 1901, when Mr. Theiss traded a large number of hogs for heifer calves. He was not able to feed the hogs on account of the drouth that year, which cut short the corn crop. When these calves had fully grown, the dairy business was begun. Both Mr. and Mrs. Theiss labored early and late, providing feed for the herd and keeping the milk flowing. Mrs. Theiss deserves much praise and commendation for the assistance she has always willingly and cheerfully given. Without her aid and encouragement, the "Prospect Hill Dairy" could not have been the splendid success that it is. There are only Jersey cows on the Theiss place and a pure-bred male heads the herd. At the present time, the milk is skimmed at "Prospect Hill Dairy" and the cream sold in the city of Warrensburg. Mr. Theiss owns the second separator brought to this county, a De Laval. The separating-room is kept perfectly clean and sanitary. In this room is a tank used in the cooling of the milk. The barn for the cattle is 36 x 48 feet, with a basement in which are the stanchions for twenty- eight cows. The milking room in the basement of the barn has a concrete floor with proper drainage. There are two concrete silos on the farm, one erected in 1907 and the other in 1913, both of which are 16 x 30 feet. The barn used for the horses and feed is 36 x 48 feet and there is a third barn, not so large. Peter Theiss is a philosopher. He states that it has been his experience that if a man wants anything enough to be "willing to buckle in and work hard" he can have just about what he wants in this world. Mr. Theiss is perfectly right in his theory that "the trouble with a lot of people in this world is they don't want anything." He bought the first manure spreader used in Johnson county and operated it on his stony farm and now "Prospect Hill Stock Farm" is as productive as any farm in this section of Missouri. He says any farm is good if one knows how to farm. Mrs. Theiss states that the hillsides of their farm would not even grow a decent weed, when the Theiss family came to live here. Further evidence of the truth of Peter Theiss' philosophy is found in the electric plant on the Theiss farm, which Mr. Theiss himself installed. The power generated by this plant runs the washing machine in their home, and pumps the water to both the residence and the barns. The Theiss home, a handsome modern structure of stone obtained from the farm, was built in 1897 and is lighted by electricity and heated by a furnace. The pipes are so connected in the furnace room that both the residence and the barn, where the cattle are kept in the winter time, are heated. It must cer- tainly be granted that whatever Peter Theiss wishes to do, he can do. He has an aquarium in an outdoor cistern, which he cut in solid rock, 50 x 100 feet in dimensions and 65 feet in depth, holding 30 feet of water in which he has placed a great variety of fish. For the past 25 years, Mr. Theiss has been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, being a charter member at Warrensburg. There is no citizen in Johnson county more worthy of commendation and notice in a work of this charac- ter than Peter Theiss. He has succeeded remarkably well in life where failure was predicted and all the success that has deservedly come to him has been due to his own energetic and determined efforts. In his own words, he has been "willing to buckle in and work hard" and he is getting just about what he wants in this world. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. 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