Is there a Schoharie County clerk in your ancestry?
If so, Indy Jaycox wants a photo of him or her.
Ms. Jaycox, the current county clerk, is looking for photos or portraits of all her predecessors, stretching back to 1795.
Ms. Jaycox wants the photos or portraits to hang on the wall of her clerk's office in Schoharie for historical interest.
She'd like a display similar to ones in the Board of Supervisors' conference room, where collages of past boards line the walls.
"And I've seen pictures of past clerks in other counties' offices," Ms. Jaycox said. "I think it's interesting. It's a nice idea."
Finding the pictures is a challenge. For recent clerks--Pete Lopez, Dave Hallock, Forest Wollaber, Gene Hallock--it's easy.
But the search gets difficult going back before Gene Hallock took office in 1961.
Ms. Jaycox contacted Carle Kopecky, director of the Old Stone Fort Museum, who may offer help.
Much of the Fort's photo collection is indexed by name, so if Ms. Jaycox had names of clerks--which she does--she might find some there, Mr. Kopecky said.
Another "huge collection" is indexed only by photographers' notebooks, such as the Harold Toles Collection, Mr. Kopecky added.
"I know we have one of a descendant of [patriot] Timothy Murphy," Mr. Kopecky said, probably referring to William B. Murphy, a clerk in the late 19th Century.
Ms. Jaycox could reproduce photos from the Fort collection, he said.
Other sources may be town historical societies, libraries, old newspapers, county Historian Ted Shuart and local collectors of old photos.
The Stone Fort's collection dates to earliest days of photography, about 1850, Mr. Kopecky said. And while early photos may be difficult to find, portraits of pre-1850 clerks will be tougher.
If she doesn't find a photo or portrait, Ms. Jaycox plans to post a plaque or possibly a reproduction of an old newspaper story--election results, for instance--about the clerk.
Hoping for more success than a plaque, Ms. Jaycox is going ahead and appealing to families to comb their old photos to see if a clerk's photo exists.
"They may say, 'Hey, grandpa or great-grandpa was a clerk.' You never know," Ms. Jaycox said.
She wants only to reproduce the photos. If you have one, reach her at 295-8316.
Ms. Jaycox hopes a list of clerks' names will jog memories:
Joachim G. Staats, 1795-1801.
Isaac Marselus, 1801-1815.
William W. Enders, 1815-1819.
John Swart, 1819-1821.
John D. Lawyer, 1821-1825.
Alexander H. Marselus, 1825-1828.
John Gebbard Jr., 1828-1834.
Abraham A. Keyser, 1834-1837.
William H. Holton, 1837-1840.
Thomas McArthur, 1840-1846.
Stephen Mahan, 1846-1849.
Loring Andrews, 1849-1852.
Almerin Gallup, 1852-1855.
John F. Shafer, 1856-1861.
Henry Kingsley, 1862-1867.
John H. Coons, 1868-1870.
John Morrison, 1871-1873.
Thomas W. Zeh Jr., 1874-1876.
William B. Murphy, 1877-1882.
Seymour Boughton 1883-1888.
Arthur D. Meade, 1889-1894.
Charles Brewster, 1895-1897.
Martin A. Akeley, 1898-1903.
Clarke Shaule, 1904-1909.
George A. Hill, 1910-1912.
Glanis A. Snyder, 1913-1916.
Frank W. Bliss, 1916-1916.
Harry W. Wright, 1917-1919.
Blanche A. Hunter, who married while in office and became Blanche A.H. Borst, 1920-1934.
Florence S. West, 1935-1940.
Roland O. Bouck, 1941-1954.
Howard J. Curtis, 1954-1960.
Eugene Hallock, 1961-1981.
Forest E. Wollaber Jr., 1982-1995.
E. David Hallock, 1996-2003.
Pete Lopez, 2004-2006.
Indy Jaycox, 2006-present.