Men and Motorcycles: The Waldspurger Passion

My maternal grandfather (whom I affectionately called Granpop or Pop) Ernest Waldspurger had eight brothers, and he was the seventh of ten children in a staunch Catholic household.  His father, Edward C. Waldspurger, was the son of Florian Waldspurger and Marie Elizabeth Hans while his mother, Julia Ann Vautier, was the daughter of William John Vautier and Catherine Miller.

As one can imagine, with ten kids, there were a great deal of cousins for my mom to grow up with..... Lucky for me, I have communicated with a number of these cousins and have been gleaning stories throughout the years from them that I have been trying to write down for future generations.

A number of the stories involving my pop and his elder brothers involve motorcycles.... They were crazy for them.

Because my mom has SO many first cousins (and second cousins, etc. etc.), I have also been lucky that many of them are willing to share photos that back the stories.  And because the youngest of the brothers is still alive at one hundred years young, I have been able to ask him what it was like in this motorcycle crazy family.

I thought today I'd share some of these photos and stories:

My great uncles seemed to prefer Indian motocycles (since according to the History of the Indian Mortorcycle, there was no R in the word!), although a few of them did own early Harley Davidson bikes as well. 

Pop's six older brothers were William (Bill), Florian (Wally), Edward (Ed), Lawrence (Larry), Cornelius (Bud) and Francis (Frank).  I was told by my mom, a number of her cousins, and my still alive great uncle, that all of the older brothers did ride bikes (although I don't have a photo of Bud and a bike, nor my own pop).  So it was neat to find these photos of them on their bikes.....

Bill

Wally

Ed

Larry

Larry and Frank with friends and what I am told is a late 1920s Indian Inline, 1932

The "boys" used to drive my great-grandmother nuts, as they would clean their motorcycle parts in the kitchen and she'd have to be dodging them and the mess just to get dinner on the table.  As each of the boys got older and married and started to move into their own homes, they kept their motorcycle-riding traditions, and even played polo on their bikes!  Some of them were also founding members of the Lansdale (Pennsylvania) Motorcycle Club

The Motorcycle Club of Lansdale,Pennsylvania

1930 - Bill Moore, who later married my pop's cousin, Helen Guretse

I asked my great-uncle, who was the youngest of the brothers, if he got to ride bikes like his elder brothers did.  He replied back with a "no, never got the chance to."  When asked why.... he told me it was because of my pop.  In 1933, at the age of 19, my pop was on his motorcycle when he was involved in a VERY serious wreck that almost cost him his leg.  He was hospitalized for a great deal of time, and for the rest of his life he walked with a limp as a result.  Because of this accident, he did not get to serve his country during World War II like his two younger brothers (which I am told wounded him greatly) because no branch of the armed forces would have him.  He instead worked in the silk factories during the war, and then as a tool-and-die maker, serving that way.

One of my mom's cousins had this photo, which really hit home to me the severity of my pop's injuries.

My pop in the hospital in 1933

Anyways, after Pop was injured, my great-grandfather was scared that he would lose one of his boys.  He told ALL of his sons to get rid of their motorcycles, and they honored my great-grandfather's wishes.  The youngest son was only thirteen at the time, so there went his chances to ride the Indians and Harleys like his brothers.

Others in the family continued the tradition later in the years, but the early photos are my favorites.