Harry "Darby" Huntington was one of eight children born to Chandler and Anna Wallis Huntington.

He first married Zervia Klinck on Jan 26, 1834 in Shelby County, Indiana. Together they had six children:

Eunice Marion Huntington married Henry Winsor
Hannah Curtis Huntington died in Indiana
Edwin Ruthven married Antoinette Baker (Mercer Girl)
Ruth Elvira Huntington married George Washington Thayer
Lucia Almire Huntington
Zervia Emeline married Andrew Mabie

Zervia died July 25, 1846 in Indiana.

On March 4, 1848 in Shelby County, Indiana, Darby married Rebecca Jane Williams Headly. Together Rebecca and Harry Darby had at least eleven children:

Chandler married Georgia Robie
Unnamed Son
William "Nelson" married Emma Horning
Alice Medora never married
Ella married William McKean
Anna "Annie" married George Walker
John became a medical doctor
Elmer Ellsworth married Mary Elizabeth Holman
Spencer married Effie Bierly
Amelia died as a baby
Wallace married Anna Fouts

Mr. Huntington and family settled on a donation land claim of 640 acres in Cowlitz County, WA.

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Darby, his second wife, Rebecca, and their children left Indiana headed west in a covered wagon in March or April of 1848. (Four Huntington cousins, all brothers, James, William, Benjamin and Jacob followed Darby in 1852.) Between November 1848 - April 1849 they lived on the banks of the Columbia Slough, across the river from Ft. Vancouver. That spring they went to Oregon City, Oregon, but they didn't stay there long.

Harry "Uncle Darby" Huntington staked a claim at the mouth of the Cowlitz River (Oregon Territory) in the fall of 1849. He established the town of Monticello where he ran a store, hotel, farm and transport business on the river.

He hosted the "Monticello Convention" of 1852. Following the meeting, a request was made of the U.S. Congress to form a separate Washington Territory out of the northern part of the Oregon Territory. By March 3, 1853 the territory north of the Columbia River became the Territory of Washington.

Darby was a member of the first Territorial Legislature for Washington which met in Olympia in 1854. Monticello became the first county seat of Cowlitz County. (Very convenient for Darby.)

Darby put up the largest amount of money used to build the first road from Monticello to Arkansas Valley, a distance of about 12 miles. The road followed the west side of the river valley, going through what is now Lexington. It went through his cousin, Jacob Huntington's, farm, up over Sandy Bend hill and then down into Arkansas Valley. At first, it wasn't much more than a "bridle path", but if one persevered, a wagon could get through. Ultimately it reached Cowlitz Landing (present day Toledo).

In 1858, along with Charles Holman, Darby established regular service between Monticello and Portland with the Steamer, "Cowlitz". It made two trips a week.

Monticello was the county seat for 11 years, but then on Dec. 15-16, 1867 the Cowlitz River flooded terribly. The banks of the river caved in and that was the end of Monticello.

In spite of the flood, the 1870 Census shows that Darby still owned property worth $30,000. This was a huge amount for that day and age. His occupation was listed as "Farmer".