Editing Ulster County, New York (section)

===Founding and formation===
When part of the [[New Netherland]] colony, Dutch traders first called the area of present-day Ulster County "Esopus", a name borrowed for convenience from a locality on the opposite side of the Hudson. "Esopus" meant "land of flowing water and high banks," or "small brook."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esopus |url=https://cffcm.com/esopus |access-date=November 25, 2023 |website=Catskill Fly Fishing Museum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Timeline {{!}} Klyne Esopus Historical Society Museum |url=https://www.esopushistorymuseum.org/timeline |access-date=November 25, 2023 |website=Klyne Esopus Museum |language=en}}</ref> There is also a town named [[Esopus, New York|Esopus]] located within Ulster County.

The local [[Lenape]] indigenous people called themselves Waranawanka, but soon came to be known to the Dutch as the "Esopus Indians" because they were encountered around the settlement known as Esopus. In 1652, Thomas Chambers, a freeholder from the [[Manor of Rensselaerswyck]], purchased land at Esopus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulster County, NY - History & Nostalgia Gallery |url=https://www.hudsonvalleysojourner.com/hudson-valley-history/ulster-county-ny-history-nostalgia/ |access-date=November 25, 2023 |website=Hudson Valley Sojourner |language=en-US}}</ref> He and several others actually settled and began farming by June 1653. The settlements grew into the village of Wiltwijck, which the English later named [[Kingston, New York|Kingston]]. In 1683, the Duke of York created 12 counties in his province, one of which was Ulster County, named after Prince James, Duke of York (later King [[James II of England]]) whose [[Subsidiary title#United Kingdom|subsidiary titles]] included [[Earl of Ulster]]. Its boundaries at that time included the present [[Sullivan County, New York|Sullivan County]] and parts of the present [[Delaware County, New York|Delaware]], [[Orange County, New York|Orange]], and [[Greene County, New York|Greene]] counties.{{efn-ua|name="Sullivan-founding"}}

In 1777, the first state capital of the independent New York State was established at Kingston. The official records of Ulster County were removed to safety to a stone house in [[Kerhonkson]] when it became evident that the British would burn Kingston.

In 1797, parts of [[Otsego County, New York|Otsego]] and Ulster counties were split off to create Delaware County.{{efn-ua|name="Sullivan-founding"}}

In 1798, Ulster County's southernmost towns were moved into Orange County to compensate Orange for breaking away its southernmost part to form [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland County]].

In 1800, portions of [[Albany County, New York|Albany]] and Ulster counties were split off to create Greene County.{{efn-ua|name="Sullivan-founding"}}

In 1809, Sullivan County was split off from Ulster County.{{efn-ua|name="Sullivan-founding"}}