The first meeting of the old settlers of McHenry and Lake Counties was in June of 1868, where the idea of the association was discussed. Those who were appointed to begin the Association were: Justus Bangs, Charles H Bartlett, Elisha Gridley, George Gage, and Joel H. Johnson. Those who arranged the first reunion of the Old Settles' Association were: George Gage, HN Owen, AH Hanley, Wm. M Jackson, Wm. A McConnell, Joel H. Johnson, and George Gillilan. Others mentioned in the early years of the group were: Nelson Landing, EG Ayer, Neil Donnelly, John G. Ragan, Chas A. Partridge, J. Van Slyke, Mark Hickox, Albert Kapple, FK Granger, Job Toles, Lorenzo Hinkston,
Joel Wheeler, and Richard Bishop.
Any person of good moral character who had resided in the county for 25 years or more, and was at the time a resident of McHenry or Lake Counties, could become a member for an initiation fee of 50 cents.

The following list of old settlers of McHenry and Lake Counties, with date of their settling, was taken from the secretaries' books of the Old Settlers' Association:
(Remember, some of these were settlers of what later became of Lake county, which would explain the discrepencies about who settled first, etc.)

May 16, 1831
A. Carmack

March 14, 1833
Allen Sisson

March 1834
O. Willey

August, 1834:
Levi A. Rairdon

November 1834*
Richard Gillilan (son of Samuel)

1834
Adam Mosgrove

September 1835
A.W. Beardsley

July, 1835
F. Diggins

October 1835
O. Beardsley

February 1836
Alvin Judd

May 1836
Russell Diggins

June 1, 1836:
J.H. Giddings

June 20, 1836:
AH Hanly, Susan Hanly, George Gage, Mrs. M.P. Gage, E.A. Beers MD,
                       Esther M. Beers, Samuel H. Walker

June 1836
T.S. Carr

July 1836
D.H. Bronson

October 10, 1836:
Mark Hickox, Mrs. B.H. Hickox, Job Toles, Samantha Toles,
William H. Huffman, Mary S. Huffman, Joel H. Johnson

May 1837
J.M.Kimball

June 1837
W. Wittemore, R.H. Carr

August 1837
Chjas. H. Tryon

November 5, 1837
S.S. Chapell

1837
Lewis Hatch

March 1838
C.O. Parsons

June 15, 1838
Maria Johnson, James Robbins, Neil Donnelly

June 1838
E.W.Smith, E.M.Owen

October 1838
Mrs. S.T. Eldredge

November 1838
John F. Huffman

June 1839
C. Hastings

July 9, 1839
John Snowden

July 13, 1839
Rebecca Howard

November 1839
T. J.Richards

June 15, 1840:
O.W. Owen

April 1841
J. W. Salisbury

June 1841
Wm. Moore

October 15, 1842
C.M. Pendleton

1842
C. Rhodes

May 1843
L.M. Woodward, C. Rich

November 15, 1843
Henry Drake

May 1844
Martin Metcalf

October 1844
C.R. Brown

July 4, 1847
James Crow

July 1847
Rev. R. K. Todd

May 15, 1848:
Harriet Owen

August 1848
Chas. Kuhnert

May 15, 1849
Peter Whitney

December, 1849:
William Hutson

June 1850
John M. Crane

May 7, 1851
James B. Church

June 26, 1852
Erastus Richards

July 1857
Sheldon Coyler