EARLY DAYS OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLJMASTERS
IN OLD NEW YORK

By Marion T. Eltonhead

When the Dutch established the Colonies of New
Netherlands in America the attitude in HoIIand regarding
education was entirely dissimilar to the English idea then
prevailing. HoIIand was far in advance of every state in
Europe. May writes in "Democracy in Europe," Vol.
II, pp. 67-72, "The whole population was educated, the
higher classes singularly accomplished, the University of
Leyden founded for the learned education of the rich
and free schools were established for the general educa-
tion."

This attitude the directors of the W. I. Company took
to the new Colonie; schools must be established, and the
youths gathered together for instruction in not only
"Worldly matters, but religious aflfairs as well."

The first official Schoolmaster, Adam Roelantsen
Groen, was his full name, though he preferred using only
the two first names, came over in the ship, the South-berg
(Salt Mountain) in 1633, in company with Van Twiller,
Cornelius Van Tienhoven, "the bookkeeper of Wageo,"
and Dominie Everard Bogardus. He was a native of
Dockum, Friesland, North HoUand, about eight miles
from the North Sea. Born about 1606, he came to the
colony as a young emigrant for he is recorded 1633.

There was probably a small school in the Fort previous
to 1633, as a pre-nuptial contract of the mother of Jan
Vinje, contracted to "send the children to school." Roe-
lantsen had a home with a good sized garden, fifty feet
on the north by one hundred on Stone Street.
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