The Alemannic family name »Wehrle« mutates to Anglo »Wehrly«
Hello all
Sorry, my contribution isn’t based on especially detailed research on Matthew Wehrly, or Roman Wehrly.
It’s only a brief excerpt on historic background of the area from where all the above mentioned men came from. It’s only an excerpt in brief; because the Black Forest clock makers history is full of interesting details, and these influencing interactions.
»
Schollach« in
Baden was and still is a community of wide scattered farms on about 20 square kilometres. It’s a high laying valley, and spring area of the European river »
Danube« in the German »
Black Forest«.
3 July 1280 is first mentioned this, »
Schollach« named, mixed forest area.
1316 is first mentioned there a major farm of a cloister.
In XV century 40 farms are decrease to 25.
1478 starts in Schollach southern neighbour ship »
Eisenbach« (Iron creek) mining of brown iron ore, which 1555 is reaching until Schollach.
1570 raised a kind of
freedom for the Schollach farmers — the former major farms, of the cloister and the reigning, became their ownership.
Their main activity was forestry, livestock farming (cows for dairy, and pigs for smoked ham and sausages), and some substituting agriculture. In the winter time they were famous in making shingles from fir and spruce for roofs and façades; and wooden chips as candle light of the poor.
In
XVII century in the surrounding
was made an attempt to copy, by use of wood,
a clock for private use.
Around
1700 the Schollach farmer
Simon Dilger, born
1672, made an attempt to start clock making. He and his son
Friedrich became through practising more and more professionals. Then they were famous teachers by doing.
Already in
1768,
Johann Wehrle is mentioned as one of the clock maker in
Simonswald - North-West, and far away from Schollach.
Clock making in the German »Black Forest« area became wide spread, like a virus infection.
Now it’s necessary to make attend on the there usual system of inherency — the first born became the majority.
Through that system,
inherency became
one of the driving axles in the »Black Forest«
clock making. The younger family members, and there were always a lot, had before only two possibilities = to stay, or to leave.
Then some of these young men became apprentices in clock making — and when they were masters, they’ve start their own »manufactory«; some specialised in making chains, or gears ... Working hours were from 5 o’clock in the morning, until 9 o’clock in the evening. Except Sundays - in the »Kalte Herberge« (Cold Inn) were made the apprentece-ship, delivering and production contracts - in four languages: English, French, German or Italian!
In
1838 in
Schollach were
18 master workshops; and in the southern neighbour ship
Eisenbach were 50 of them.
All had from childhood on the possibility to see their uncles’ busyness’. Also the Kleiser’, Schwerer’, Tritschler, Wehlte’ ...
By the rules of inherency handicapped, are often becoming very inventively, and very productive too. So rose the necessity to find a reliable system of distribution — of about
100,000 clock’s production per year.
Some distributed by family connections — like as Kleiser’, Schwerer’, Tritschler, and Wehlte’ ...
But productivity has needed also the assistance of wholesaler and commissioners. Some of these commissioners lived frankly from future sales.
So e.g. the father of
Karl and
Augustine Kleiser lost, for reason of
commissioners’ misappropriations, his whole income and property. There fore it was necessary to assist their collapsed father.
By the way: In the winter of
1907 to 1908,
in Schollach was constructed
the Globes first ski-lift! And the festivities of the centenary were presided by a
Kleiser.
Today about 250 humans live there in Schollach, Hammereisenbach (hammer mill), and Eisenbach - descendants of Kleiser’s ...
It’s also possible, to stroll in the Black Forest clock makers history in
Furtwangen’ Clock Museum:
http://www.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de/def ... 2106296774" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Kind regards silverport
.
