Sunday, May 27, 2018

When did the family of Martin Van Buren stop speaking Dutch?

Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York, to a family of Dutch descent. He was born in a state that was originally owned by the Netherlands until the British took over, saying they had a prior claim. Van Buren grew up speaking Dutch in the home, so English was his second language, learned after he began school. He is the only US president for whom English was not the first language.
Van Buren, the eighth US president, was also the first president not of British ancestry. His wife, Hannah, was of Dutch descent, too, and she also grew up speaking Dutch as her first language. Both the president and the First Lady were reported to speak English with a slight Dutch accent.
As both Van Buren and his wife were Dutch speakers, it is very possible they taught their children Dutch in the home. Hannah died when her children were young, but not before they would have acquired language skills.

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