Franciscus Isidoor van Cauwenberghs was born in Testelt
near Diest (Belgium) on June 17, 1825. He was the son of Johannes
Baptista van Cauwenberghs, merchant, and Philippina Norberta
Van den Wouwer.
The cover of the book below states that Isidoor van Cauwenberghs
was an expert in languages and literature. His achievements
were much more extensive than that though. He also studied
poetry, rhetoric and philosophy. He went into apprenticeship
under his uncle who was a civil law notary and afterwards
took up a career in law. After working with his uncle he dedicated
himself to the study of construction and transport. He oversaw
what one called ‘the art work of the new railway’
and achieved a degree in civil engineering. In 1859, he took
over a factory together with Joannes Hermans. Doing so he
came to be a merchant/business man. When the factory was dissolved
in 1862, he became active in other business affairs.
It is nice to know that Isidoor also befriended Hendrik
Conscience, one the most famous Flemish writers. Both writers
shared their literary insights for years. It was Isidoor van
Cauwenberghs who persuaded Hendrik Conscience to move to Schilde
during a cholera outbreak in Antwerp in 1849. On
a personal note, Isidoor married his cousin, Lady Maria-Ludovica
van den Wouwer. They had three children.
Isidoor wrote many poems during his life. The last poem
was put on paper three months before his death. Isidoor van
Cauwenberghe died on January 31, 1891 aged 65.
Isidoor van Cauwenberghs
1825-1891
