William Clarkson Schoettle

William Clarkson Schoettle

AGE: 90 • formerly of Bay Head

Eminent Bay Head, New Jersey historian, William Clarkson Schoettle, died at the age of ninety on December 24, 2011 in Williamsburg, VA. Perennial Bridge champion of the Bay Head Yacht Club, Bill documented the history of the mostly Princeton and Philadelphia families of Bay Head with their shingled Victorian homes on what is now a multi million dollar beach resort south of New York City. A graduate of Chestnut Hill Academy in 1939 and the Philadelphia Museum of Art School, Bill held a managerial job with E.G. Budd for twenty years prior to retiring in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square. Author of "Bay Head, 1879-1911," Bill's seminal collection of antique photographs and slides became known as the "Schoettle Collection" and served as the foundation of the archives of the Bay Head Historical Society. He co-authored "LaBonte Schoettle" in 2009- a personal collection of Victorian photographs also painted by folk artist Dick LaBonte.

Son of Marc Andrew Schoettle and Rita Clarkson Metcalfe, Bill came from a long line of sailors. His grandfather, Robert Henshaw (Metcalfe was mayor of Bay Head from 1918 to 1923). The family was a member of the Mayflower Society of America. After working in art galleries as an interior designer, Bill left Philadelphia for Bay Head where he began his historical research and opened a book store.

After his wife, Phyllis Murdock, died of cancer, Bill moved to Williamsburg and spent twenty years in the Williamsburg Landing assisted living home. He is survived by his brother, Philip Alden Schoettle of Bay Head.