Curé Family

The Curé family is one of the largest single branches in the database and its connection to me is my father's mother.

The Father Of Modern Mauritius

The most famous Curé of all is my great grandfather, Jules Maurice Curé.  Educated as a physician in England, he practiced medicine in Mauritius and bridged the social divide that existed between the whites and the working classes that existed at the time.

In 1936 he founded the Mauritian Workers Party (equivalent to the Labour Party in the UK) and held huge rallies, campaigning for Mauritian Workers rights.

He retired from politics in the early 1940s for personal reasons and to continue with his commitments to his patients.  As such, his contribution to the political framework of modern Mauritius was largely understated for many years.

Prime Minister Paul Berenger, who knew JM Curé, vowed to set the record straight and described JM Curé as "The Father of Modern Mauritius".  

Sacre Bon Homme!

The first Curés arrived in Mauritius in 1787 from France on a boat titled "Le Noir".  This information is recorded in the Mauritian National Archives, Coromandel, Mauritius.

The records indicate that three brothers, Louis (a surgeon), Pierre and Barthelemy, arrived together, possibly with their mother.  Later census data (1803) shows the various family members living in Port Louis.

Louis Curé has one of the most interesting profiles of anyone in the database.  After arriving in Mauritius, he had four, possibly five relationships:

• A Relationship to "Genevieve"
• Married Suzanne Pelogie Brouard
• Married Joséphine Pilot
• Had an affair with a cousin (?) of Joséphine, Sophie Charlotte Pilot
• Some records indicate he may have had an affair with the aunt of Joséphine and Sophie too

It was Cyril Curé, who in a letter to a possible distant relative used the term "Sacre Bon Homme!" in relating the antics of his distant ancestor.