John and Mary Paule Bierlein never even heard of Huntley, Illinois until they decided to move there in 2008 to be closer to their grown children. Their roots were in Michigan, where they fell in love at Michigan State University, married in 1960, and spent most of their married life and child-rearing years settled north of Detroit. But when their two children, Paul and Lori, wound up relocating and settling in Illinois and southern Wisconsin to start their careers, John and Mary Paule eventually followed.
Because they were at retirement age, someone suggested the Bierleins check out Del Webb retirement community in Huntley.
“You mean old people housing?” John, 88, remembers saying. “I’m not going there!” But once the Bierleins saw the beautiful neighborhoods and impressive amenities in Sun City, they quickly changed their mind. By 2008, they had settled into their new Huntley home and immediately got to work putting down roots, becoming founding members of the Huntley Historical Society.
Only after many years living in Michigan did John and Mary Paule Bierlein learn they are relatives of Thomas Stillwell Huntley, Huntley’s founder, proving it is, indeed, a small world. (Photo provided)
An offhand comment at a family reunion back in Michigan — that a relative remembered the name “Huntley” appearing somewhere in their family tree — sent Mary Paule and John on a genealogical deep dive that resulted in a stunning revelation: Mary Paule’s lineage could be traced back to the founder of the town, Thomas Stillwell Huntley. Thomas’s fifth cousin, Charles Lay Huntley, married Mary Paule’s great grand aunt, Eunice Wilbur in 1860. The rest, as they say, is history.
A Small World
Sadly, Mary Paul Bierlein passed away in 2022, but not before realizing the improbable circumstance of unknowingly moving to a town founded by a distant relative.
“What is the probability of this happening?” says John.
The couple’s daughter, Lori Bierlein Knabenhans, says she grew accustomed to all the connections her parents had with others.
“I always remember growing up, my mom telling me what a small world it is. Everywhere we went they seemed to know someone, or someone who knew someone they knew,” she says. “Finding out my mom’s relationship to the founder of the town they just happened to move to was quite the surprise! It fits right in with a lifetime of ‘small world’ coincidences.”
‘An Unexpected Connection’
Nancy Bacheller, who works in the Local History Department of Huntley Public Library, knew John and Mary Paule because of their mutual interest in the town’s local history. Bacheller herself wrote a book entitled Huntley — copies are available at the Huntley Library — that outlines the history of the town, although it was published before the Bierleins’ discovery.
“Imagine everyone’s surprise when we learned of their relation to our town’s founder!” says Bacheller “I have worked in the Local History Department for 24 years and this is the first time we have come across an unexpected connection such as the Bierleins. We are very proud to have them in our Huntley community.”
This past July, John Bierlein was honored in Huntley’s Independence Day parade as being married to a relative of the town’s founder. He carried with him a portrait of his late wife.
“We were married 62 fabulous years, we got along beautifully, and raised two wonderful kids,” says Bierlein. “This [connection to Huntley] is a fun story, and our lives have been filled with a number of them.”
