History of the Town of Flatbush

to the liberal donor. The vessel in which this bell was shipped, was captured by the British, on her passage to this country, and carried into Halifax,—and from the fact that the bell had on it, this inscription, "Presented to the Reformed Dutch Church of Flatbush, by John Vanderbilt," it was presumed that both vessel and cargo, belonged to a Holland merchant, and she was on the point of being condemned, when Mr. Charles Clarkson, the son-in-law of Mr. Vanderbilt, went to Halifax and testified that he was a citizen of the United States. It is something of a remarkable fact, that the second or third time that this bell was used, was on the occasion of the funeral of this noble spirited man. Although we shall have occasion hereafter to mention this distinguished individual, we trust we shall be pardoned for here stopping for a moment, to render the tribute of respect to his memory. He was a man of great nobleness of mind, of liberal views, and of enlarged public spirit. He died on the 18th of November, 1796, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. His monumental stone, bears the following testimony to his worth. "He was a merchant of distinguished probity—a real patriot—an affectionate relative—a sincere friend, and a worthy man. Blessed with affluence, he displayed a spirit of munificence in promoting the interests of his country, of religion and virtue. The moderation and conciliatory disposition which accompanied and conducted his virtues, secured him through life, an esteem almost unrivalled, and rendered his death, a great loss to the public, and to his family irreparable."

The church after its completion, was dedicated to the service of Almighty God, in the month of January, 1797. The Rev. Martinus Schoonmaker, preached a sermon in the Dutch language, on that interesting occasion, and the Rev. Peter Lowe, preached in English in the afternoon of the same day.

The combination between the six congregations of the county, to which we have alluded, continued until the year 1805, when the church of Brooklyn, called the Rev. Selah S. Woodhull, as their pastor exclusively. In the year 1808, the churches of Flatbush and Flatlands, united in a call upon the Rev. Peter Lowe, to become their pastor, which was accepted, and he continued in that relation, until the time of his death, which occurred on the 10th day of June, 1818. He was much beloved by the people of his charge; a man of fervent piety and of active usefulness. His death was that of the triumphant Christian. His remains lie interred in the public cemetery of this church.

In the fall of the year 1818, the churches of Flatbush and Flatlands, made a call on the Rev. Walter Monteith, who was installed their pastor in the year 1819. He continued his connection with this people only for a little more than a year,—for on the 13th of April, 1820, he resigned his charge, having accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church in Schenectady. After the resignation of the Rev. Mr. Monteith, the congregations remained vacant for upwards of two years. In the month of May, 1822, a call was made out by the church of Flatbush alone, on the present pastor, which was accepted by him, in August of that year, and on the 17th day of November ensuing, (1822,) he was installed by the Classis of Long-Island. The combination between the six Dutch churches in the county, was not however finally dissolved, until the death of the Rev. Martinus Schoonmaker, which took place on the 20th day of May, 1824, when he was at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. This venerable man was eminent for his faithful per-