Viet Musig

Viet Musig (Muzigh, Mesick) was born near Heidelberg, Germany about 1690 during a time of religious intolerance for Protestants by Catholics.  He married and immigrated with his family to New York by sea in 1710.  He created a foundation for future Mesick descendants and lived until at least his mid eighties to see them extend the family line.

A reconstructed passenger list places # 543 Veit Musig, wife Maria Catharina, and a child under 10 years arriving by July 1, 1710 aboard the the 5th ship “Hartwell.” This child was conceivably Veit’s brother. They would have landed on Nutten Island (Governor’s Island) in 1710. A disturbing description of the Palatine plight is found here.

Like other Palatine, immigrants, he was a volunteer soldier on the Expedition to Canada in 1711.

Only few years are their arrival, Viet Musig and Maria Catharina were listed with 3 children living in Livingston Manor in Hunterstown about 1716-17.  He was naturalized on January 4, 1716 in Albany, NY.

Thanks to Devin Overington, Germantown Historical Dept.

Viet and Maria Catharina‘s children were born in Livingston Manor, Dutchess County, NY:

After much hardship, Viet Musig built a house and owned a farm in Livingston, NY.  The house was still standing in 1887.   Viet’s neighbor was my ancestor Johannes Best who settled on a life leased farm of 130 acres in the northern part of Livingston, in Clermont at the intersection of the Albany Post Road and the road to Elizaville.  Viet (Ffitz) house and Johannes were next to each and their farms bordered each other.  By reason of the close intimacy, two intermarriages shortly resulted

According to a posting by Jim Mesick,

In the double door of this log house was a bullet hole which, tradition says, was made by a blunderbuss in the hands of Tories, who attempted to rob and murder the old man, who was reputed to have some money in his dwelling. The Tories took him three times to the cellar and hung him from the beam overhead to compel him to divulge the hiding place of his treasure; but his neighbors rallied to his rescue, and the Tories were alarmed and escaped. This fact indicates that he survived 1776 and reached his 85th year.

His eldest son Hendrick had a joint lease for the farm and they each lived there for their lifetimes.  Viet’s descendants served in the Albany County Militia, 8th Regiment: Fite Mesick, Hendrick Mesick, Henry J. Mesick, Jacob J. Mesick, John Mesick, John J. Mesick, John J. Mesick, Peter Mesick, Peter J. Mesick, Thomas Mesick,

The death and burial of Viet and Anna Catharina is unknown but suspected to be in Livingston, NY.  RIP

Resources

Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants Who Arrived in Colonial New York in 1710 by  Henry Z. Jones, Jr., Universal City, CA, 1985

The Book of Names: Especially Relating to the Early Palatines and the First Settlers in the Mohawk Valley by Lou D. MacWethy

A Family History, compiled James D. Groat, Jr., 1986

Among other names,  the name Musig for Viet Musig is listed on the plaque located at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saugerties.

KNOW O TRAVELER, within sight of this hill on October 6, 1710, led by The Rev. Joshua Kocherthal and The Rev. Johann Frederick Hager, there arrived on the east and west shores of Hudson’s River nearly three hundred families of refugees of the Palatine region in Europe, who suffered many sorrows in the ravages of war, sickness, poverty and destitution, yet survived to settle these shores, sustained by their faith in the Lord and the sympathy of Queen Anne of England, whom they came to serve in the reduction of the pine forest for naval stores for Her Majesty’s fleet. Do you wish to know more? Seek out their names on this tablet, on the pages of history their deeds.