18 settlers were killed and 42 were carried away as prisoners. The out settlements were all destroyed. A destructive war ensured, in which the Ulster Indians were nearly exterminated. During this war the valley of the Wall Kil was discovered, and soon after the peace of 1663 it was occupied by a colony of French Huguenots. The settlements gradually extended along the valleys of the Esopus, Rondout, and Wal Kill Creeks and their tributaries.
Membership is open to anyone having an interest in genealogy, regardless of place of residence.
The Ulster County Historical Society was originally founded in 1859, largely through the efforts of State Senator George Pratt. Pratt, as Commanding Colonel of the 80th Regiment, New York State Volunteers, was killed in action at the second Battle of Bull Run in 1862. From that date, the Society became more or less dormant until revived by an enthusiastic group of citizens in 1930. The following narrative is from the book published in 1880 by Nathaniel Sylvester titled History of Ulster County, New York . Situated upon the west bank of the Hudson, midway between New Amsterdam and Fort Orange, in early colonial times Esopus was the acknowledged rival of those two settlements in respect of the trade and commerce of the great river.