By Larry B. Schuknecht
Very little is presently known about Engelbert Clever. Records show a Peter Engelbert Clever (Oct. 13, 1840- ) who was born in Mennekrath and married Anna Maria Gudula Schmitz (Nov. 11, 1839- ) in Eupen on May 4, 1867. About that same time he was the director of a paper mill on the Selterschlag in Eupen. Around 1879 or 1880 he took over the shop of Wilhem Hommelsheim in Coln who was a Arms dealer. Mr. Hommelsheim remained with the firm as its manager. A 1884 Address book for köln shows Engelbert Clever at Wilhelmstrasse 11 and a business at Comödienstrasse 3.
The 1910 Köln shows Engelbert as a Waffenhandler or Gun Dealer at Hofstrasse 10.
In 1896 he was the Chairman of the “Cologne Free Hand Shooting and Hunting Club”. In the Pape & Kellner personal archive he is listed as a Gunsmith and arms dealer. On January 1,1913 the firm Eduard Kettner took over the firm and it became Clever & Kettner, a branch of the firm Eduard Kettner and owned by Engelbert and Eduard Kettner. Wilhelm Hommelsheim remained with the firm as it’s manager.
Following are samples of the Clever advertising found in period hunting papers.
Below is a single shot under lever Pirschbüchse marked “Engelbert Clever Nact. Coln” in 8 x 57JR.
