Le Cosquino de Bussy

This website is intended to explain the existence of this family name. Since the remaining members of this family reside in Holland (including the author), this website is mainly in Dutch. Some of the content of these web pages may be interesting even if you are not familiar with this language. I suggest you search under “Stambomen” (family trees) to find any known ancestors.

Family name

Cosquino is a family name, originated in France. First notifications have been found in a division of joint estate document from 1420. The oldest existing sample is a monument on the graveyard in Ancy-le-Franc in France, founded by Jean Le Cosquyno in 1526.

Later, another Jean Le Cosquino (1678 – 1747), who served as de Lieutenant-colonel of the Cavalry, had two sons. They both lived the last part of their lives in Paris. Here their great resemblance,  together with the not very common name le Cosquino, created a lot of confusion amongst friends. Before they moved to Paris, the oldest son had lived in the village of Séry and the other in Bussy. To avoid confusion they would be called “Le Cosquino de Séry” (died in 1810) and “Le Cosquino de Bussy” (1744 – 1810).

Le Cosquino de Bussy had 4 children of which one, Félicité Sophie Louis le Cosquino, born in Paris in 1784 and died in 1824, moved to The Netherlands in the late days Napoleon for business reasons. That is when had himself registered as:

Félicité Sophie Louis le Cosquino de Bussy

 That’s the way the cookie crumbled. He was the first family member officially named like that.

Well-known family members

Some members of the family became well known for their achievements:

• J.H. le Cosquino de Bussy (1848-1919) was known for starting a business in a bookshop that later expanded to a company in printing, publishing and advertising. For three generations the firm called “N.V. Drukkerij en uitgeverij J.H. de Bussy” was run by members of this family. J.H. was also known as the co-founder of the Dutch Research Center on cancer, called the Nederlands Kanker Insitituut or NKI in 1913.
• Izaak Jan le Cosquino de Bussy (1846-1920) became professor of philosophy and wrote many publications on moral, ethical and theological subject.
• Frieda le Cosquino de Bussy: (1910-2011) was known for her contribution in the the introduction of rowing races for women in 1931.