Some of the comments in my gallery of photos asked for the history of what I now call Willow Creek Farm.  A brief history can be found by visiting

http://genealogytrails.com/ill/carroll/index.html 

Scroll down the homepage then depress the link entitled, “Pioneer Families” which results in a new page load.  Scroll down further and depress the link entitled, “William Boardman – Cherry Grove Township” which takes you to the history and family tree.  Although the website states that William and Mary Boardman ventured to Rockford, Illinois via New Orleans, more recent information suggests that they arrived in New York City by ship from England and made their way west to Rockford.  I’ll add to this blog as I obtain more significant and verifiable information.

The MLS listing of my house dated it as 1878.  However, I always suspected that the house was built earlier.  My recent review of an 1869 Plat map shows a house and Apple orchard in the location of my house.  There does not appear to be any partially covered foundation walls in the same or nearly same location as my house and the rubble walls of my house are undisturbed.  These things lead me to believe that my house was constructed prior to 1878.  Looking at almost imperceptible differences in existing architectural details indicates that both the 2^nd floor Master bedroom and, over what was in all probability the kitchen, were added after 1869 - perhaps in 1878.  My empathic feeling during the purchase of the property was that the house was built in the 1850s.    Two prosperous brothers, David and Thomas Holmes, emigrated from England in 1851 and settled in the vicinity of the Boardman property.  Thomas married Margaret Boardman in 1853 and David married her sister Mary J. Boardman around the same time.  Thomas and Margaret resided in a house with apple orchard located in Section #10 as shown on the 1869 Plat map.  This is also the approximate location of the log cabin built by William Boardman in 1838.  Another house and Apple orchard north of Thomas and Margaret’s house and nearer to the road also shows on the 1869 Plat map in Section #9. The owner is listed as Mary J. Holmes (nee Boardman).  I believe that this is my house.  The combination of information gained through marriage history, differences in the existing architectural details of my house and information obtained from both 1869 Plat map support my belief that my house consists of an original structure built in the late 1850s or very early 1860s by David and Mary J. Holmes.  An addition, consisting of in all probability a kitchen, and Master bedroom above was most likely constructed by the Zier family, subsequent owners, in 1878.