Happy Halloween! In New England we use a lot of words to describe the sensation of getting the shivers - goosebumps, goosepimples, chicken skin, jitters, getting the creeps, and "getting the willies". Some people say that this word "the willies" dates back to a disaster that happened in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in 1826 when an entire family died during a landslide. The Willey Family story is sad, but scary enough to have lived on in ghost stories, books (including Nathaniel Hawthorne), and history books. I previously blogged about the Willey family disaster and their genealogy HERE in 2010. Seven members of the Willey family, two parents and five children, and two hired hands all died in this landslide. Only the bodies of the parents, two of the three children, and the two hired men were found. The bodies were buried near the homesite originally, and then reburied elsewhere.
Recently we drove through Crawford Notch, the site of the famous 1826 landslide, and we looked at the monument to the family. I knew that this was the place where the family house stood, not the burial place for the bodies of the Willey family. But where were they buried? Somewhere else in Crawford Notch? Nearby in Bartlett or somewhere that is now part of the Crawford Notch State Park or the White Mountain National Forest land? Miles away with family members in southern New Hampshire (the family originated in the Piscataqua Region) or even out of state? Where?
I made a quick search of the Find A Grave website, and Google with some interesting results. I searched for Samuel Willey born 1788 and died 1826. Find A Grave said he was buried in the Willey Slide Cemetery located in Intervale, Carroll County, New Hampshire. There are many places in New Hampshire called "Intervale", which literally means between mountains or between towns. There is a place called Intervale nearby between the towns of Bartlett and Conway, New Hampshire. On Find A Grave there are no GPS coordinates or directions, which is very odd. There is no description of the cemetery, and no map. Very odd indeed. There is even a misleading entry "Willey Family Cemetery" off Moose Mountain Road in Brookfield, New Hampshire with no photos, no information, nothing. I think it was created as a red herring.
Since we were in the area, I was determined to find this elusive cemetery. Google showed me that I was not alone. Many other people have documented this search online. I found one of the hired hands buried nearby in Bartlett. His name was David Allen, and he is buried at the Garland Ridge Cemetery a short distance from Crawford Notch. There is a link below to his gravestone. That was easy. But where is the Willey family burial ground, and where is the other hired hand buried?
Using Google Maps satellite view has helped me in the past to find small, unmarked family cemeteries in New England. Since we live in a heavily wooded region, satellite views often show small square or irregular openings in the forest canopy that are not visible from the road. My next ploy was to stop in to the Conway or North Conway Public Library to ask about local cemeteries.
As we were driving up towards Crawford Notch, through the Kancamaugus Notch and Bear Notch, I read the accounts online of other people searching for the Willey Family. The story told by Robert Gillis of his teenaged nephew, Colin, searching for the burial ground, was inspirational. I loved reading about young people who become enthralled with local history or genealogy. Colin used the local library to find the small Willey family burial ground. Then he mysteriously did not give the location. But, if Colin could find it, I was sure I could find it, too.
As we were driving I also watched a 15 minute video by "Rick and Bill" on Youtube of their search for the Willey Cemetery. You can find the link below. Rick and Bill make videos of local history in New Hampshire, and although they also did not give the location of the cemetery either, their video gave me clues in the background as to where it was located. If you are familiar with the Intervale area, you will know what I mean.
Both Vincent and I searched the Intervale area using the satellite views. We knew that the Willey burial ground was nearby and easily found it. You can find it, too. I'm going to follow the local tradition and not tell you where to find it. Some things can't be too easy!
I'm writing this story near Halloween. I've seen what Halloween mania has done to historic places like Salem, Massachusetts, and to some local burial grounds. This is why the local people have not published the map, coordinates, or address for the Willey Family cemetery. If you are truly interested in the history, then like me, Bill, Rick, and Colin, you can do the legwork and find it for yourself. This is a burial ground which deserves respect. It is not a tourist attraction for Halloween.
Visit with respect. Bring flowers, and leave nothing but footprints.
Colin, Bill, Rick, and the entire Willey family would agree. Let me know if you find the Willeys!
For the Truly Curious:
A 2010 blog post about the Willey Family:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/happy-halloween-story-of-willey-family.html
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willey_House_(New_Hampshire)
Link to Samuel Willey's memorial at Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231693821/samuel-willey
Link to David Allen's memorial at Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116456101/david-allen
Robert Gillis, "An historical quest fulfilled: Finding the Willey Family of Crawford Notch", posted 17 September 2015, https://www.robertxgillis.com/?p=5761 accessed 18 October 2025.
Bill Thompson and Rick Davidson, "Visiting the Site of the Famous Willey Landslide and the Willey Cemetery", Youtube, 17 April 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPlKlczGsBs accessed 18 October 2025.
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "This story will give you the Willeys - literally!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 28 October 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/10/this-story-will-give-you-willeys.html: accessed [access date]).
