History of the Town of Flatbush

one or two. As sexton, it was his duty to ring the bell and give alarms during the revolutionary war. The village was often disturbed during that period, and Mr. Ellison, from his office, and from his living near the church, usually warned the inhabitants by ringing the bell. On one occasion an alarm was sounded in the night time. Ellison not being able to find his small clothes, (for pantaloons were not known in those days,) seized his wife's calimanco petticoat, which he hastily drew on, and ran to the church, where he was found dressed in this style, pulling away like a lusty fellow at the bell rope. Such a sight must have put to flight all the fears of the inhabitants, and turned the scene of alarm into one of merriment.

During part of the time that Ellison was chorister of the church, the Rev. Mr. Van Sinderen, was pastor of the church. The Domine was preaching on a certain occasion in the Dutch language, on the subject of the conversion of the Philippian Jailor, and as he was a man of somewhat eccentric habits, he made frequent digressions from his subject. During his discourse at this time, he said he would stake a wager that there was not one man in the church who knew the English of the Dutch word, "Stookwaarder." This bet was several times repeated by the Domine. At length Ellison, who in virtue of his office of chorister, occupied the front seat in the Deacons pew, thinking himself the best English scholar present, bawled out with a loud voice. "Jailor sir." Mr. Van Sinderen feeling somewhat mortified at this unexpected reply, (for he wished to have given the answer himself,) looked down upon Ellison with some degree of scorn, and said to him, "you must never talk when I preach."

Not long after the peace, measures were taken for the founding a respectable Academy in the town of Flatbush. The projectors of the enterprize were the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston, who then residing in Flatbush, and Senator John Vanderbilt. The latter was a man of great public spirit, and of large and liberal views. He took an active part in accomplishing the noble design, and soon obtained the active co-operation of several other distinguished persons. At length, in the year 1786, Jacob Lefferts, Joris Martense, Peter Lefferts, Johannes E. Lott, Cornelius Vanderveer, John Vanderbilt, William B. Gifford, Peter Cornell, Matthew Clarkson, Aquila Giles, John J. Vanderbilt and Garrit Martense, inhabitants of the town of Flatbush, associated together, and took the necessary measures, for the erection of a large and commodious building, for an academy. A subscription paper was circulated in the village, and handed to some friends in the city of New-York, by which the sum of £915. was raised towards the object. This subscription is as follows.

Whereas, this county experiences the greatest inconvenience, from the want of a Public School being erected, in which, the English, Latin and Greek Languages, with other branches of learning, usual in Academies are taught, and considering the preceding regulations and proposals for erecting the same, in the township of Flatbush, highly beneficial and honorable to said county: We the under-written, agree to pay towards erecting the same, such suns as is annexed to our names, the one half on the first day of April next, the other half on the first day of August following, and we further take the liberty to solicit from the friends of Literature, in New-York, their encouragement,