Thomas W. Weiss Biography


	This biography appears on page 347 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				THOMAS W. WEISS. 

	Thomas W. Weiss, a pioneer and the owner of a garage in Kimball, 
was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the 19th of November, 1853, a son 
of John and Katherina Weiss, who in 1879 came with their family to 
South Dakota. The subject of this review had filed on a homestead 
sixteen miles northeast of Mitchell, in Hanson county, in 1877, and 
thereon the family located. The father subsequently also took up a 
claim. Both he and his wife have passed away. 

	Thomas W. Weiss was educated in the district schools of his 
native state and after putting aside his textbooks gave his entire time 
to assisting his father with the farm work until he was twenty-eight 
years of age, when he began his independent career as an agriculturist. 
He continued to farm for fourteen years and then for two years traveled 
in the south. He next went to the Pacific coast, where he resided for 
two years, after which he returned to his farm in Hanson county, this 
state, and remained there until the spring of 1892. He then sold his 
land and removed to Kimball, where he engaged in the restaurant 
business for six years, after which he disposed of it and established a 
garage, which he has since conducted. He was among the first to see the 
possibilities in business opened up by the rapid development of the 
automobile and as he has kept pace with the industry his annual profits 
have always been gratifying. His garage is a concrete building, 
designed and erected especially for the purpose, and he does a large 
general repair business. He is also agent for the Buick and Dodge cars 
and makes a large number of sales annually. He is likewise a 
stockholder in the Brule Mercantile Company of Kimball and he is 
interested in threshing, having an outfit which he operates every fall, 
having continued this business for the past twenty-six years. 

	On the 19th of November, 1892, Mr. Weiss was united in marriage 
with Miss Eliza A. Small, daughter of John Small. Mr. and Mrs. Weiss 
are communicants of the Catholic church and he also belongs to Maher 
Council, K. C. He is likewise identified with the Modern Woodmen of 
America. His political support is given to the democratic party. He 
believes firmly in the prosperity in store for this section of the 
state and has invested quite heavily in land in Brule county. He is 
alert, progressive and energetic and as he is also upright and 
honorable in all his dealings he enjoys the unqualified respect of his 
fellow citizens.