Leonard Biermans - Turnhout, Belgium - Death Mask Gravestones on Waymarking.com

More information about Leonard Biermans (and his company):
"Leonard Biermans 1875 - 1970

Leonard Biermans was ready to start his own company after having been employed by Brepols for three years. In 1875 he started a factory with ten employees along the railroad that made playing cards and colored paper. He married Marie-Thérèze Poupaert, daughter of Carolus Franc. Poupaert, director at Van Genechten. When one of the banks from which Biermans borrowed money went bankrupt, the factory was saved by two moneylenders, Fr. Van Dooren and Georges Dupret. After his death, the company was transformed into a limited liability company in 1897. Georges Dupret became chairman, while the actual management of the company was taken care of by Henri Van den Bosch. At that time there were 330 workers. Biermans was already connected to the electricity grid in 1899, five years before Brepols.

France levied high import duties on Belgian stationery. Biermans coped with this by starting up a new factory for decorative paper near Lille. 40 Turnhout families moved to Northern France to set up the company. In 1930, Georges Dupret's son, Marcel, took over the management and decided to start manufacturing industrial bags and expanding the printing and cartoning facilities. In view of the large decrease in playing cards on the Asian market, a new company was founded in Calcutta in 1934, which would remain with Biermans until the independence of the Indies.

Copa was founded in 1960, against which Biermans had to compete very strongly with its white enamel paper. Because the market for decorative papers had declined to such an extent, Turpa was founded in 1967, a merger of the Turnhout paper manufacturers Copa, Mesmaekers, Biermans and Van Genechten. Biermans took over the latter in 1970."

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About the grave/mausoleum:

The mausoleum can be on the west side of the cemetery. When you enter through the entrance from the Kwakkelstraat the mausoleum is on your right.The Mausoleum is small, but very nice. It has stained glass windows and the death mask of Leonard Biermans is in the center of the Mausoleum.

Name of Cemetery: Turnhout Cemetery Condition of Death Mask: Very Good Gravestone Inscription: Familie Leonard Biermans (above the entrance of the Mausoleum)

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