Emmanuel Jozef van Gansen and the Boer War

One of the leaders of the Boerenkrijg, namely Van Gansen, was born nearby in the Cuytenhoeve on Christmas Day of the year 1766. When the farm that stood at the intersection of Kipdorp and Veerlepad burned down, the family moved to Forest. The farm was probably never rebuilt because on the Ferrariskaar from around 1777 there is no trace of a building on this site.
In 1789 the Brabant Revolution broke out and van Gansen enlisted in the patriot army. After the restoration of Austrian rule in 1790, he returned to his native village.

In 1795, France annexed the Southern Netherlands. van Gansen criticized the anti-religious policies of the new rulers. He collected signatures through a petition to protest against the expulsion of monastics and to prevent the church goods from being sold. His father and brother had fewer conscientious objections and handed over many of the church's property to the French administration.
When France also claimed young men as soldiers for the army, van Gansen became the leader of the rebellious brigands in the Kempen. During the siege of Diest, he suffered a serious injury to his chin and lower lip. He was smuggled out of Diest in a large barrel by cart and went into hiding in Testelt. van Ganzen would also experience the Dutch period and the first years of Belgian independence. He died at the age of 76 in Westerlo.

Jan Rymenams