Charles Henry WILLEY

1889 - 1977  (88 years)

• Name	Charles Henry WILLEY
  Birth	31 Mar 1889	East Boston, Boston, Suffolk, MA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	11 Sep 1977	Concord, Merrimack, NH   [1, 2]
  Burial	Maple Grove Cemetery, West Concord, NH
  Person ID	I462	A Few Relatives of Bob and Mary Hegerich
  Last Modified	30 Jan 2024

  
  

  Father	Stephen Licurtis WILLEY,   b. 10 Dec 1856, Durham, Strafford, NH d. 19 Jul 1893, Boston, Suffolk, MA (Age 36 years)
  Mother	Charlotte Ellen HORTON,   b. Feb 1863, Portsmouth, Rockingham, NH d. 1 Feb 1934, East Boston, Boston, Suffolk, MA (Age ~ 70 years)
  Marriage	15 Jan 1882	Durham, Strafford, NH   [3]
  Family ID	F115	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Grace Estelle NOYES,   b. 21 Jan 1891, Canterbury, Merrimack, NH d. 21 May 1965, Concord, Merrimack, NH (Age 74 years)
  Marriage	16 May 1914	East Concord, Merrimack, NH   [4]
  Children	1. Richard Charles WILLEY,   b. 25 Dec 1918, Concord, Merrimack, NH d. 4 Mar 1993, Concord, Merrimack, NH (Age 74 years)   2. Doris G. WILLEY,   b. 28 Aug 1921, Concord, Merrimack, NH d. 17 Apr 2006, Concord, Merrimack, NH (Age 84 years)   3. Walter Herbert WILLEY
  Family ID	F313	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Jun 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Rose A. MERCIER,   b. 1907, CA d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	23 Nov 1931	Concord, Merrimack, NH   [5]
  Children	1. Elenor WILLEY   2. Norma WILLEY
  Family ID	F312	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Jun 2025

  
  

• Notes

  He was a Machinist (and later Warrant Officer) who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, in peacetime, for actions which resulted in saving the lives of his shipmates while serving aboard the armored cruiser USS Memphis on 29 Aug 1916. The citation reads as follows: For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession while serving on board the U.S.S. Memphis, at a time when that vessel was suffering total destruction from a tsunami while anchored off Santo Domingo City, 29 August 1916. Machinist Willey took his station in the engineer's department and remained at his post of duty amidst scalding steam and the rush of thousands of tons of water into his department as long as the engines would turn, leaving only when ordered to leave. When the boilers exploded, he assisted in getting the men out of the fire room and carrying them into the engine room, where there was air instead of steam to breathe. It was approximated that he carried up 106 men on his shoulders, saving countless lives. He received serious 3rd degree burns from the steam himself. Machinist Willey's conduct on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.

  
  

• Sources

  [S9558] Social Security Death Index. [S1960] Mary Jean (Willey) Huerta, Grand-daughter of Charles H. Willey. [S1940] Marriage Certificate of Stephen L. Willey and Char, Copy Provided by Dianna Willey Ledger. [S13098] 1930 Census of NH, Merrimack County, ED 12 (Concord), family #32. [S12560] NH Vital and Town Records 1637 - 1947.