As late as the 1760s, the Dutch language was still thriving in religious institutions and select schoolrooms even though the Dutch had not maintained control of the region since the English conquest in 1664.[xxiv] The perpetuation of the Dutch language did not last forever, but so strong was the language’s influence on New York that many Dutch words were adopted into the American lexicon. Words like “boss,” “cookie,” “spook,” and “stoop” find their roots in the Dutch language.[xxv] The Dutch also left behind several farmhouses that are still standing in Flatbush such at the Wyckoff Farmhouse located in Flatlands and the Lefferts house located in Prospect Park. Also, the cemetery by the Dutch Reformed Church still remains intact.
As early as 1658, Flatbush had an appointed schoolmaster who was associated with the church, and the courts were set up in Flatbush where the Town Clerk Sherriff and schoolmaster resided.[xxvi] One advertisement published in Rivington’s New York Gazetteer in 1774 provides a glimpse of what the educational system in Flatbush was like. The advertisement was for a school in Flatbush catering to “gentlemen children” who wished to receive a Classical education with instruction in the Greek and Latin languages, as well as the basics like arithmetic, reading, and writing.[xxvii]
We can understand from this advertisement that there were colonists in Flatbush and perhaps the greater New York who subscribed to the idea that a Classical education is the best kind of education. Other interesting facts we can glean from the advertisement tell us about other aspects of Flatbush life as well; tuition was “not [to] exceed fifteen dollars yearly,” which gives us an idea of the dollar’s value in those days and how much inflation there has been since then. The author also included a placatory disclaimer for any concerned parents that the school would do its best to foster good morals in the students, which gives us an idea of the moral mindset of the time.[xxviii]
