There were five textile mills in Nuenen in the second half of the nineteenth century, including the linen factory of Jacobus Lodewijk (Louis) Begemann (1838-1906) at present-day Berg 65. Louis was an older brother of Vincent's lover and neighbor Margot Begemann. When things went badly with Margot, Vincent confided in him and expressed his concerns: "Louis Begemann - he also had his objections but he was so and stayed so that she and I could talk with him, and the fact that it did not end much worse is precisely because he was humane and calm, and when it happened to her, of which I alone knew, he was able to help and all the others only hindered. And in the measures to be taken we were in complete agreement. By the way, three days beforehand I had already warned him and said, I am worried about your sister'.
When Margot takes poison in desperation, Vincent goes to Louis for help. Margot leaves to see a doctor in Utrecht, and they keep the matter quiet under the guise that "she is traveling on business. Margot is, in fact, a partner in Louis's business. After the business went bankrupt earlier, Margot put her own money into it. In mid-September 1884 Vincent visits Margot in Utrecht "with some others here from the Village"; presumably this is Louis, who was aware of the situation.
Louis' father Reverend Willem Lodewijk Begemann establishes a linen factory around 1845 to create employment opportunities for Protestants. In 1864, Louis starts a venture with business partner Jacob Tirion to produce cotton weaving goods. In 1870 Louis continues on his own and the following year has a residence and factory built on the Berg. The business goes bankrupt in 1879, but makes a restart. The factory closes after his death in 1906. The story that after Vincent leaves Nuenen his remaining belongings and studies are stored in the attic of this factory is not based on fact.
Vincent's youngest brother Cor van Gogh (1867-1900) meets a son of Louis, Willem Begemann, in Nuenen. The boys are the same age and attend the Rijks-hbs in Helmond. After his final exams in July 1884, it is decided that Cor will work. Through contact with the Begemann family, he goes to work as an unpaid apprentice in Egbert Haverkamp Begemann's machine factory in Helmond.
