10/01/2025
Temperatures are cooling, increasing occurrences of overcast weather, and foliage changing colors; these are all signs that it just might be October. Another association with October is that it can be a time of remembrance of those who have passed away.
As many decades go by, sometimes the only item left for remembrance are their grave markers. Sometimes, this is the only evidence a genealogist can find in their quest for mapping out a family’s genealogy tree. In honor of the historical significance of grave markers and its connection with October we would like to look at the history of the Huntley Cemetery and Huntley’s Founding Father gravestone and marker.
The Huntley Cemetery was established through the land donation by Mr. Huntley and is currently operated by the village.
- The earliest interment known was on December 28th, 1845 for Elizabeth Wales.
- The cemetery is the resting place of many service men and women who served our Country; including “22 veterans of the Civil War” (Mellien 123). Huntley’s son, Charles Clarence Huntley is one of these 22 veterans.
- In 1873, a boiler explosion at a steam mill in Huntley cost the life of William Benedict who is buried in the cemetery (Mellien 124).
- May Chesak, a beloved teacher who taught for 51 years and who started out at the Oak Glen one-room schoolhouse, has a marker in the Huntley cemetery. The May Chesak Grade School was named in her honor in 2000 (Mellien 125).
- Many of the early leaders of the Village of Huntley, including the village’s founding father, Thomas Stillwell Huntley (1807 – 1894) are buried there.
Thomas Stillwell Huntley’s original grave marker is composed of limestone. This is a fragile type of stone and it is difficult to preserve this material from further deterioration. Tom Conley began a quest to restore the Huntley family’s resting place over 10 years ago. He began with finding the original urn that was missing and had it put back in place with help from the Village. The inscriptions were wearing away and difficult to read so the Huntley History Alliance researched other solutions for historical preservation, since there are no methods to restore limestone nor for preserving it. The best option was to install a long-lasting granite marker. This marker (w/QR code) was unveiled on March 27th, 2022.
So during this month, we hope you will take time to visit the Huntley Cemetery and pay homage to those who have impacted our lives through theirs in our Friendly Village with Country Charm. If you would like to know more about Huntley’s history please stop by the Local History area of the library. We would love to help you find what you are looking for.
Citation: “History and Stories of the McHenry County Cemeteries” by Mellien, Laurel 2016