CHAPTER XII.

THE SCHOOLS OF FLATBUSH AFTER 1664.

The records available for Flatbush are fuller than for any other of the Dutch villages, affording accordingly the best account that we have of any of the village schools.

The Flatbush school was opened, as we saw, not later than January of 1659. The first master is not known. In 1660 Reynier Bastiaensen van Giesen was elected, and he was succeeded by Pelgrom Clocq, who was appointed schoolmaster October 26, 1663, "for one year and the engagement to be released on either side each year." The English came in September of 1664, some time before Clocq's first and only year had expired.1

Clocq's successor was "the worthy Arent Evers Molenaer, late schoolmaster, precentor, and comforter of the sick at New Amstel," although it appears that a slight interim came between the two. Since Clocq's salary was paid for exactly one year, it seems probable that his time expired October 26, 1664, one year after his contract. Molenaer seems to have been in New Amsterdam after this time, since he had a child baptized there on November 9,2 and he sold there, on December 10/20, his account against the city of old Amsterdam for services at New Amstel. We should probably not go far wrong to place January 1, 1665, as the beginning of his service at Midwoud. In March of 1665, "Mr. Arent Molenaer" bought a farm "in the vicinity of the town of Midwoud."4 On April 3 "Arent Evert Molenaer" witnessed a paper. On August 16 of the same year the deacons paid to "Aerent Aeeversen" their share of his first year's salary, 50 guilders. In June of the succeeding year the church paid its part of the second year's salary to "Aert Evers."

6

From

1 Strong (History of Flatbush, p. 109-110) gives a continuous list of masters from 1659 to 1802. The names that he assigns to the seventeenth century are as follows: Adrian Hegemen, 1659-71; Jacob Joosten, 1671-73; Francays De Bruynne, 1673-74; Michael Hainelle, 1674-75; Jan Gerrit van Marckye, 1675–80; Derick Storm, 1680-81; Jan Tibout, 1681-82; Johannes van Eckkellen, 1682-1700. It will be observed that neither Van Giesen nor Clocq appear on Strong's list, while no evidence is available that even tends to connect Hegemen with the school. On account of further inaccuracies in the list, it is necessary to pay more attention to names and dates than would otherwise be desirable; our resulting list will be very different, so far as concerns the seventeenth century.

2 N. Y. Gen. and Bio. Soc. Coll., ii, 75.

3 Minutes of the orphan masters, etc., ii, 4.

Flatbush town records, 105: 21.

5 Ibid, p. 25.

• Flatbush deacons' accounts, i, 13 A. It is assumed that his contract was the same as Clocq's.

7 Ibid, 1, 14 A. See also Flatbush town records, 106: 252, 259, for payments made by the church masters from the rent of the school land.

these two payments of exactly 50 guilders each from the church, it seems quite probable that his term of service extended over exactly two years. This finds corroboration in the salary payments of his

successor.

As Molenaer's term was closing (Dec. 15, 1666), the church masters paid out "for plastering the chimney in the school and the covering 11 gl., p. 10 st." As this house was built only three years before (see p. 126), it may excite some surprise that it needed covering so soon. The use of thatch rather than shingles is probably the explanation.

Molenaer's successor was Jan Tibout, whom we have already met at Bergen (p. 137) and in New Haerlem (page 164) and shall meet several times in other connections. Ilis contract is the first one found at Flatbush after the English occupation. His duties, while more nicely specified than were those of Van Giesen and Clocq, are almost the same. He was schoolmaster, voorlezer, voorsanger, sexton, and court messenger. Tuition charges were for A, B, C, and spelling, 2 guilders per quarter; for reading and writing, 2 guilders, and for both together, 2 guilders and 10 stivers. His salary was 300 guilders, seawant, in grain, together with a free house, garden, and house lot belonging to the school. The service was to begin on December 25, 1666, o. s., and last for one year; though it was in fact continued for about four years. Interestingly enough this contract was signed by the court officials only, not by the consistory. What makes this change in the contracting parties the more interesting is that the schoolmaster's church duties are minutely prescribed, and that the deacons continued all during his term of office to pay the 50 guilders annually on his salary, just as had been done when they were parties to the contract. The regular salary payments made by the deacons and churchmasters of 50 guilders and 250 guilders, respectively, leave us in no doubt that Tibout remained in charge of the school until his successor came, November 1, 1670.

The successor to Tibout was Jacob Joosten, whom we have previously seen at Kingston (pp. 134-5). His contract was drawn up on August 8, some months in advance of the commencement of actual service. It is one of those long itemized school contracts which seemed to delight the Dutch sense of order and form. This is one of the very best of all the contracts we have, as it gives many minute details. Joosten, as contracting master, on the one hand, and the consistory and the town court, on the other, were parties to the contract. There are 12 articles, fixing among other

1 Flatbush town records, 106: 259.

2 Some $30 or $35 of our money.

Flatbush town records, 105: 87-88.

Flatbush deacons' accounts, i, 154, 17B 22B; Flatbush town records, 106: 279; Flatbush churchmasters' accounts, pp. 4, 12.

things the school hours, the religious services of the school, the catechizing, the master's duties as voorlezer, as voorsanger, as sexton, and as messenger of the church and court. He was required by the sixth article "to be modest in his demeanor and diligent and patient with the children; also always calm and friendly to them." His remuneration came from several sources: For providing the bowl of water at baptisms "12st. from the parents or the witnesses," for inviting to funerals, preparing the grave, and tolling the bell, "for persons 15 years old or upward, 12 gl.; and under, 8 gl.," with more if he went out of the town to extend the invitations. As court messenger there was a regular schedule of charges. The seventh item fixed the tuition charges: "To receive in payment of A. B. and spelling, 2 gl.; of reading and writing together, 2 gl., 10 st.; for evening school, reading and writing, 3 gl." He was "to receive, in addition an annual salary of 300 gl. in wampum, or grain, to be delivered at the ferry; in addition a house free of rent, with a garden and use of lands belonging to the school, and annually from each farm one load of manure and one load of firewood or the value thereof, and next summer a new and proper dwelling house on the school lot." The time of service was for one year beginning November 1, 1670. "All done in the meeting of constables and overseers and consistory of the town of Midwoud."1

Although the English had been masters of New Netherland for six years, this contract shows almost identically the same conditions as were found in the Dutch days. In certain respects more nearly the same than was seen in Tibout's contract of 1666.

The promise to provide "next summer a new and proper dwelling house on the school lot" bore fruit. The church masters contracted with one Auke Jansz to build "a house according to plan thereof and conditions thereof at his own board expense" for the sum of 600 guilders. Either the old schoolhouse received at the same time new roofing, or the roof for the new house had not been included in Auke Jansz' contract, for 30 guilders were paid out for this purpose with 15 guilders besides to the hod carrier. Either the work on the schoolhouse progressed slowly, or some accident befell; for on January 30, 1672, the church masters spent 15 guilders "for one half barrell good beer for setting the school to rights." The Dutch, as well as other of the early colonists, performed such public works more willingly, if not more effectively, with the aid of plenty of "good beer." A year later some repairing was necessary, for there were bought "50 nails for the schoolhouse" at 15 stivers and the roof again needed attention, as roofs do."

1 Flatbush town records, 105: 207.

Flatbush church masters' records, p. 14. On p. 19 of the same this was called the "schoolhouse." Ibid., p. 15.

Flatbush town records, 106: 283.

Flatbush church masters' records, pp. 21, 22.

The question of side occupations of schoolmasters was, as we saw in Chapter II, a matter of some concern in Holland. In America little was heard of the question. However, one of the items in the deacons' accounts seems to indicate that Master Joosten had a side occupation somewhat unusual. Just after he had given up his position in Flatbush the deacons bought for 35 guilders "that little brew house of Jacob Joosten next to the schoolhouse." Ownership and proximity to his dwelling would seem to substantiate the suggestion that Joosten added to his income by brewing, perhaps, that same "good beer."

How Joosten received his pay as schoolmaster will appear from the following excerpt from the church masters' report. The reader will note the variant spellings of proper names.

Year 1673, credit

Jan Burensen has delivered to Jackop Joosten 19 schepels peas. also delivered to Jackop Yoosten 9 schepels rye.....

also to Yackop Yoosten 2 schepels wheat....

Van Beren has also delivered to Yacop Yoosten 3 schepels rye..

3

gl. 76 -0

gl. 36 -0

gl. 12-0

gl. 12-02

It was about this time that we have the first extant census of Flatbush. In 1673 there were 73 men in the village; but "men" here means apparently males of 16 and over. Two years later there were 54 heads of families. This number fell the next year to 47;5 in 1683 it was 48, in 1698, 66,7 while in 17068 there were 52 landholders. The total population can only be estimated. In 1738 there was a white population of 406 in 76 families, or about 5 persons to the family. The same ratio would give a population of 251 in 1676, 256 in 1683, and 352 in 1698—a relatively fixed population for a village in a new and growing country.

We have seen in Chapter VIII how certain lands were set aside during the Dutch period for the use of the Flatbush church and school. This was done several times again during the English period. In 1668 there was a division of the Canaryse Valley into eight divisions of six lots each. One lot each was reserved for the church, school, parsonage, and town.10 In 1701 there was a similar drawing, where the school got two lots." It is impossible to make any distinction between church and school lots. While we read at times of the "church lots" and the "school lots," as if they were separate, quite as often they are all included together under the head of "church lots," and even where a distinction of term is made, we find rent from both going to the schoolmaster or to the schoolhouse.12 Both were equally in the charge of the

1 Flatbush church masters' records, p. 38.

2 Flatbush town records, 106: 295.

8 New York Col. Doc., ii, 596.

4 Doc. Hist. of N. Y., iv, 97ff.

5 Ibid., ii, 269f.

Ibid., ii, 293-4.
Ibid., iii, 89.

8 King's County conveyances, liber 3, p. 195.

9 Doc. Hist. of N. Y., iv, 120. Besides the white pop

ulation there were 134 negroes.

10 Flatbush town records, 105: 141.

11 Ibid., 100: 252 ff.

12 Ibid., 106: 81, 249, 252.

churchmasters. It may be added that according to the 1706 assessment, the church lots then included 262 acres, while the largest single private holding was 159 acres, the median holding being 63. In 1663, the church and school lands were rented out for six years at 400 guilders the first years, and 440 guilders each succeeding year.1 In 1668 and 1669 they were again rented out at about the same rates.2 Apparently this was the source of the schoolmaster's salary.

In 1676, on the same conditions that obtained in the case of Joosten, "constable and overseers with the consent of the people," engaged Jan Gerritsz Van Marken "in the place of Jacob Joosten." The only difference in the terms was that Van Marken should receive no wood and manure, but should "receive therefor the sum of one hundred guldens, making the entire about four hundred guldens in grain at seawant price." The service was to commence May 1, 1676, and last "for the time of one year or longer, as is satisfactory to both parties.”3

Van Marken was evidently not an exemplary character. He is said to have been expelled from Fort Casimir whither he had gone as a merchant. He went thence to Beverwyck and bought the excise right. After becoming schoolmaster at Flatbush he had the reputation of paying "more attention to the tavern than to the school."* Finally, a quarrel with D: Van Zuuren of the Flatbush church proved his undoing. The domine, being for no sufficient (apparent) cause "most irreverently and slanderously abused by the schoolmaster," he "called together our consistory and, as is usual here, invited the magistrates to meet with them." These "all declared that they had long wished for some opportunity to discharge this schoolmaster," 7 and thereupon, after due deliberation, "the honorable consistory, in the presence of the worthy constable and overseers," decided that Van Marken was "unsuitable and unfit to have charge of the service of church or school in any Christian congregation," and accordingly discharged him, ordering him "to surrender the schoolhouse and all other privileges" of his office "before the 1st of May." The schoolmaster was much incensed at the treatment accorded him and fought back; "with the uttermost shamelessness, summoning those who had condemned his conduct, before the English court at Gravesend * * * accusing them of perfidy and injustice.'" D: Zuuren's party retaliated with threat of a slander suit. In fear, however, that the English courts might abridge the rights of the Dutch church, both sides were prevailed upon to arbitrate the matter. Van Marken, as a result, was put under bond to keep the peace; but he forfeited this and

1 Flatbush town records, 106: pp. 249, 252.

2 Ibid., 105: 117-8.

3 Ibid., p. 208.

4 Pearson, First Settlers of Albany, p. 128.

5 Bergen, Kings County, p. 345.

6 Flatbush consistory minutes, p. 30.

7 Letter of De Van Zuuren to the classis, June 25, 1681. Eccl. Rec., p. 773 ff.

8 Flatbush consistory minutes, p. 30.

Ibid., p. 33.