The first historical mention of Husi is in a letter from the Prince of Moldavia, Stephen the Great, to some traders of Brasov. This letter, dated 1487, was supposed to have been sent from Husi, which came to be known as one of Stephen the Great's favorite places to reside. This was true for later Moldavian princes, who enjoyed both Husi's terrific wines that the excellent location for planning and staging ongoing wars with the Ottoman Empire.

There are two stories about how Husi got its name. Some say it was founded in the 15th century by a group of Hussites. It is more likely that the name originates with a feudal lord — a boyar — named Hus or Husul who owned land in this area.

Click the buttons below to view antique postcards showing scenes of Husi at the end of the 19th century or review a timeline of world history for the period when our Husi ancestors were likely to have been arriving in Husi and eventually departing.

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"Greater Romania" by Andrei Nacu - English Wikipedia.
Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

All of these areas were part of Romania at one time or another. The areas labeled Basarabia, Moldova, and Bucovina were all part of the Principality of Moldavia, established in the late 14th century. Over the centuries, this Moldavian area fell under the control of different countries, different empires.

Take Bukovina as an example. Bukovina was under Austrian control from 1774 to 1918. Then it became part of Romania until 1940, when the northern part became part of the Soviet Union and is now part of Ukraine.

Bessarabia was ceded to Russia by the Ottoman Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, which ended in 1812. Most of what was once the Moldavian area of Bessarabia is now the Republic of Moldova. (The northern and southern parts became part of Ukraine, leaving Moldova landlocked.)

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"Romania Counties 1930-2008" by Andrei Nacu - English Wikipedia.
Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

This map shows the counties in Romania in 1930 versus today. Husi was originally the capital of Falciu County. However, the counties have changed and Husi is now in Vaslui County.

The Vaslui County: Geography and History has a short section describing the history of the area. The demographic information unfortunately dates to the year 2000.