The Cornu/Curnew Family
A review of vital statistics, census records, church records includes many versions of this family name;
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Curnew
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Corneau
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Karno
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Kerno
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Karnoe
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Kermy
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Cormy
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Comu
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Cornu
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On June 6, 1900, Jules Cornu passed at Codroy, NL. He was 92 years old.
From the Nfld Vital Statistics Death Records;
Entry – 40
Date of Death – 06 Jun 1900
Place of Death – Codroy
Cause of Death – Old Age
Family Name – Cornu
Name of Deceased – Jules Cornu(M)
Clergyman – Rev C O’Regan
Religion – Catholic
Trade – Fishing
Age – 92
Place of Birth – France
Place of Internment – Codroy
From the St. Annes RC Church Records (Deaths), Codroy Valley, NL, Canada;
Jules Cornu, age 92
Died on June 6, 1900 at Codroy.
Jules Cornu is listed as Roman Catholic and born in France. At this point in the history of Western Newfoundland, few people knew how to read and write. When registering a birth, marriage or death, they simply pronounced the name in their native tongue, which could very well have been a mixture of French and English.
The Cornu Name
A 1699 census of Point Verde (near Placentia), Newfoundland lists a Raymond Cornu, born at Bordeaux 1638 with 2 shallops.
According to a 1701 census, a French fisherman named Cornu was still present at “La Point Verde”, near Plaisance.
The History
Following the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Plaisance was taken over by the English and the name changed to Placentia. The French residents were migrated to St. Pierre and Cape Breton.
During the nineteenth century, French fishing fleets crossed the Atlantic Ocean to fish the French shore of Newfoundland. The Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the south coast of Newfoundland, remained part of France. Following the treaty of Utrecht (1713), these islands served as a base for the fishing operations on this side of the Atlantic, while select harbours on the “French Shore”, like Codroy Island and Red Island were assigned to St. Pierre merchants as local fishing stations.
