The ‘Cobbler of Waldenburg’

Todays Monday Morning Moaning’s comes from an article in the Mt. Clemens Monitor, from Friday April 4, 1930, called “Cobbler of Waldenburg Celebrates 90th Birthday”.

Born March 30, 1840 in Austrian Silesia, now Czechoslovakia, Ambrose Leyer was “just another mouth to feed” at the time when his parents were scarcely able to keep the family they already had. Ambrose’s, uncle lived just across the line in Prussian Silesia offered to take the boy and raised him, his parents agreed. Although the boys parents were devout Catholics, they insisted he be raised in their Catholic religion, although permitted his foster parents to educate him in a Lutheran school. Little did they know that the coincidence would be an underlaying cause of his removal to America.

Time honor customs, being what they are, Ambrose was apprenticed to a trade. He selected the art of the cobbler. A diligent worker and being exempt from military service due to his small stature, he became a master at his craft, when he was sent to a fort near his home to keep the soldiers well shod. When he come to America he would find himself in the middle of of a nation torn apart by civil strife after his native land had but recently been torn by its own revolution of 1848.

Ambrose’s uncle, August Posner, packed up his goods and came to America, leaving his young nephew in the care of August’s mother. August Posner came to Waldenburg, with characteristic German foresight and ambition, he established a brickyard and potash factory. Being a devout Lutheran, Uncle August joined the congregation of the Waldenburg Lutheran church and was grieved to find that the congregation lacked any sort of a musical instrument with which to enliven its service. He was over joyed when after letters from home made him aware that the the trombone band which had been the pride of his home land church had recently discarded its old slide trombone and replaced it. Mr. Posner saw an opportunity before him. He wrote a letter in reply that the Waldenburg congregation would be glad to purchase the discarded trombone, for the right price.

August Posner was very please to hear that they would send the trombone to them free of charge, but they also had another instrument which was said to be able to play any tones that one’s heart could desire, for which a charge of $35 was to be made. To his surprise and all the residents of Waldenburg, when it was found out the ‘new instrument’ was none other than his nephew, Ambrose Leyer, and the $35 had been for his passage to bring with him the trombone.

It took six weeks in crossing the ocean on his first sailing, but upon his arrival he ‘took up’ 10 acres of land near the north end of Waldenburg and established his home and cobbler’s shop in an abandoned toll gate of the Romeo Plank Road Company.

The cobbler of Waldenburg married and reared a family of nine children. While Mrs. Leyer died about 30 years ago, it’s to the loving care of one daughter Mr. Leyer attributes his long life span. In addition to her personal care to her father, she also performs the many household tasks needed, while her brother farms the 10 acres for his father along with his own farming. The other children, married and grown up, are no less devoted although their own responsibilities prevent them from being ay his side.

They bring him good things to eat and sometimes smuggle in a few bottle of beer, although as Mr. Leyer says regretfully, the beer in prohibition is by no means as good as the beer in which he accustomed himself while living in Germany or in Waldenburg when, Jasmund, the village brewer, produced his own beer in his general store.

The old man’s recipe for longevity is plenty of plain food, regular hours, steady work, beer, but not too much of it and schnapps when one wants one. Whiskey he declares, is just like medicine, if use properly. And don’t forget a good cigar. Although he has his “bad spells” when he does not feel overly well, for the most part he can be found seated by his window watching the passing traffic on the Romeo Plank road which runs in front of his house, waving to his friends who pass.

The ‘Cobbler of Waldenburg’, Ambrose Leyer passed away on November 5, 1933 at 93 years and 7 months.

On that ‘wee note’, till next week.

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