Thomas Stillwell Huntley
The village of Huntley was named for Thomas Stillwell Huntley (March 27, 1807 – May 21, 1894). Thomas Huntley and his wife, Eliza Fox Huntley, and children Charles, Harriet and William arrived in the area in 1846, having traveled weeks by wagon from upstate New York. The family settled on farm land on what is now Route 47 and Conley Road.
In the first Grafton Township elections in 1850, Thomas Huntley was elected the township supervisor. It was the only elected office he held in his lifetime.
Rural settlement of the Huntley area continued to develop and thrive through the 1840s. The biggest change for the town came about when the Chicago and Galena Railroad came through in 1851. Mr. Huntley purchased 80 acres along the proposed railroad line. He built a train station and a general store nearby and they became the nucleus of the village.
Thomas Huntley was a generous benefactor to the town that bore his name. Mr. Huntley platted the village and sold lots for homes and businesses. He donated land for the train station, town square park, three churches and for the town cemetery.
The town was first known as Huntley Grove or Huntley Station before being shortened to simply Huntley.