McIntosh County Clerk is the principal “Record Keeper” for the county. Historically, county governments were created to, among other things, record deeds and manage land transfers and other vital records. In fact, in the early days of our nation, county lines were drawn so that no resident of a county had to travel more than one day to get to the county seat in order to take care of their business with the county and that business generally had to do with land records. To this day, maintaining records, land transfers and other vital records continues to be a major function for County Clerks.

Many residents do not understand or have an appreciation of the need for these records until it affects them or their family member and they need the records. In fact, history shows us our very first McIntosh County Clerk, Edward C. Julian, felt so strongly about the safekeeping of our county records that he was willing to fight for and shoot a former U.S. Marshal to death over keeping them. Although, some can argue that the fight was only about the county seat placement, I believe it also reflects the importance of our residents having access to the records we hold.

The records we hold show how we assist in the county financial affairs in a variety of duties such as reviewing claims and issuing payments for county bills, including issuing payment for payroll. We are responsible for recording all appropriations and expenditures for each of the departments within the county. The County Clerk processes the estimate of needs and assists in preparing the annual budget.

We serve as the secretary recording agendas and minutes for several boards, including the Board of County Commissioners, Excise & Equalization Boards, Tax Roll Corrections Board, and Trusts set up through the county.

In July 1925, the old courthouse burned down and many county records were lost in the flames. Our current Courthouse was built in 1927. We still hold some records dating back before the fire, but I am certain this was a devastating blow to some of our residents with no way to back up the records.

Record keeping has advanced in the digital age that we currently live in. The digital age has paved a way for us to maintain our records with efficiency and effectiveness. We have run out of storage space and going digital is a necessity. By doing so, records are organized, we have protection from disaster, we have provided easier access to our customers, you can look up information faster, and we have multiple system back-ups.

Moving further in to the digital age, I have chosen to reduce the Volume books on file in our office to provide more space. I did not do this to erase any history, but to provide much needed office space to our citizens and employees. The historical content is still retained in our office with each previous County Clerk’s information and hard work documented. I take it very seriously to ensure that our records remain on file and preserved.

To ensure our records are preserved, I have sent many of our original record books that are now recorded digitally, to be stored in underground salt mines in Kansas. Its atmosphere is cool, dry, and stable, removing the risk of climate-controlled equipment failure. The salt mine is wrapped in a 400-foot-thick rock salt cocoon and is located 650 feet below the earth’s surface, keeping records safe from natural disasters. The salt mine facility has a natural temperature of 70° assisting in decreasing the chance of deterioration of our records.

I am currently only the 15^th McIntosh County Clerk since statehood in 1907. I consider it an honor to serve as your County Clerk and am humbled and thank you for allowing me this opportunity!

Some content may be extracted from OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet AGEC-802 and/or the County Training Program website. More complete information is available from these sources.