Stephentown’s Officials

The Town board is the official governing body of the town. It is composed of four Councilmen, a Town Clerk, and a Town Supervisor. the Supervisor is the chariman of the Town Board and the head of the government.

The Town Clerk has many duties, including recording and issuing minutes of Town board meetings, certificates of birth, death and marriage, hunting, fishing and dog licenses, and records of all town expenses. The Town Justices werve as judges in minor town criminal matters.

As times change so do town officials. In 1880 the Town Board had an Overseer of the Poor, or Poormaster, Fence Viewers, Pathmasters, and a Commissioner of Highways. These offices have long since been abolished or changed.

Early Town board meetings were held at the Mt. Whitney School (presently the home of Mrs. Thelma Elwell. Written in 1980), and later at School #4 (now the Stephentown Memorial Library). Finally the town purchased the Taconic Valley Grange Hall and converted it into the Town Hall, where most town business is conducted, including Town Board meetings, court hearings, and elections. In addition, the Town Hall houses the Assessor's office and official town records.

Were your ancestors civic minded? None of my ancestors appear on these lists, but maybe one or more of yours does.

Town Supervisors

1784 - Caleb Bentley
1786 – John W. Schermerhorn
1790 – Jonas O’Dell
1791 – John Wylie
1795 – Samuel Vary
1798 – Henry Platt
1806 – Hosea Moffitt
1810 – Henry Platt
1811 – Rowland Hall
1817 – John Babcock
1818 – William Douglas
1819 – James Jones
1822 – Henry Platt
1824 – Simon Cranston
1825 – Henry Platt
1827 – James Jones (Brown?)
1828 – Claudius Moffitt
1831 – Randall A. Brown
1834 – Rufus Rose
1836 – Eldridge G. Green
1840 – Henry W. Brown
1844 – Eldridge G. Green
1845 – Stephen V.R. Jones
1847 – George W. Glass
1848 – John L. Sheldon
1850 – Rufus Rose
1852 – G. Lansing
1853 – Randall A. Brown
1855 – Theodore G. Platt
1856 – Edwin Adams
1858 – Ralph Rose
1859 – Solomon Carpenter
1861 – Thomas G. Carpenter
1864 – Lewis Brown
1868 – Ezra Chase
1870 – Spencer C. Brown
1872 – Rufus Sweet
1873 – William A. Gile
1874 – Rufus Sweet
1875 – Gideon S. Hall
1876 – Rufus Sweet
1878 – Gideon Hall
1880 – Rufus Sweet
1882 – William A. Gile
1884 – John A. Kittell
1886 – Rufus Sweet
1889 – Eldorus G. Eldridge
1892 – William C. Woodward
1894 – Henry Snell
1898 – Duane H. Newton
1903 – Charles W. Kittell
1906 – Henry Snell
1910 – Stanley H. Mathew
1914 – Edward J. Quinlan
1918 – Dr. Clarence Chaloner (served short term as he died in office)
1918 – John Snell (finished term)
1920 – Jessie F. Snow and George Callahan
1922 – Avery G. Hall
1924 – Leo W. Fitzgerald
1928 – Jessie F. Snow
1930 – Homer B. Silvernail
1936 – Lewis Griffin
1942 – Arthur Pease
1952 – Clarence Carpenter
1963 – John M. Garvin
1965 – Bert R. Bullion
1968 – Carl Jensen
1974 – Patricia O. Mohos (resigned in third term May 26, 1978)
1978 – Frederick Haley (took over May 26, 1978 then resigned Oct. 12, ’78)
1978 – Kenneth Brown (took over and finished term Dec. 31, 1978)
1980 – Joseph Manns

Town Clerks

1784 – Jonathan Niles
1790 – Hezekiah Hall
1791 – Hosea Moffitt
1792 – Henry Platt
1795 – Ichabod Cone – Jonathan Niles
1796 – Henry Platt
1797 – Hosea Moffitt
1798 – William Douglas, Jr.
1815 – Eber Moffitt
1817 – Aria Pardee
1823 – Ira Gardner
1829 – Randall A. Brown
1831 – Elijah Graves
1834 – Hosea W. Brown
1840 – Caleb Chapman
1843 – Henry Platt
1844 – Alexander Gardner
1848 – Theodore D. Platt
1849 – Eber M. Rollo
1850 - Joseph R. Reynolds
1851 – Thomas G. Carpenter
1852 – Edwin Adams
1853 – Philander Woodward
1856 – Ezra B. Chase
1860 – Lewis Brown
1863 – Orra G. Strait
1864 – Charles H. Vary
1869 – Walter B. Goold
1870 – Andrew J. Brown
1872 – Edwin A. Cranston
1873 – Walter B. Goold
1874 – William H. Brimmer
1875 – Edwin E. Doty
1876 – William H. Brimmer
1877 – Andrew J. Brown
1884 – George T. Chittenden
1886 – John Reynolds
1888 – Eldorus G. Eldridge
1889 – William C. Woodward
1892 – John R. Palmer
1894 – Fred G. Gardner
1896 – John R. Palmer
1898 - Frank Segar
1914 – Edwin B. Wheeler – resigned in 1917. Helen Sweet Wheeler replaced him until 1918
1918 – Avery Hall
1922 – George Hatch
1926 – Frank R. Worthington
1930 – George Hatch
1934 – Orson J. Holt
1937 – Minnie Holt
1940 – Albert Silvernail
1948 – Orin J. Meddaugh, served until his death in 1969. Alma (Carr) Meddaugh took over until Betty Olson was appointed to finish his term to 1971.
1971 – Richard Demick
1974 – Sylvester Close