The first of the Bowling family to arrive in the province of Maryland was Capt. James Bowling (1636-1693) sometime before 1658.  He became associated with other Catholics who eventually settled on Boarman’s Manor in what is now Charles County, Maryland. He had no children from his two marriages, but his will makes clear that there were descendants from his brother Thomas (d. 1700) and relation Elizabeth (marr. Thomas Speake).

These siblings (or cousins) and their children can be outlined as follows:

• 1) James Bowling (1636-1693), imm. before 1658, called “Mr.” by 1677, “Capt.” by 1683.
  • marr. (1) Ann —, before 1659 when he transported her into the province
  • marr. (2) Mary Brooke, who marr. by 1700 Benjamin Hall (1667-1721) and Henry Witham
    • no issue

• 2) Thomas Bowling, in Md. by 1694, returned to England 1697 and died there 1700.
  • marr.  Ann —  in England. Children:
    • a) John Bowling (bef. 1680-1711), a shoemaker like his father.
    • b) Roger Bowling

• 3) Elizabeth Bowling, prob. died before 1692.
  •  In November 1663, “Elizabeth Speake” was subpoenaed as a witness in Charles County. She was mentioned in her husband’s will of 1681 but not James Bowling’s will of 1692.
  • marr.  Thomas Speake (d. 1681), a taylor. Children:
    • a) John Speake (c. 1665-1731)
    • b) Bowling Speake (c. 1675-1755)
  • For more on the Speakes, see the publications of the Speak/e/s Family Association

The three Bowling siblings or cousins came from the area of Charnock Richard in Lancashire. See more on the English Ancestry of the Bowlings.

All later bearers of the surname Bowling in this family are descendants of John Bowling, son of Thomas Bowling.

 

Other Bowling Families

In the Chesapeake in the colonial period, there were a number of other families with the name Bowling/Bolling, who are not known to be related to the Catholic Bowlings of Boarman’s Manor. These include:

—John Bowling of Calvert County, who immigrated before 1663, settled in Calvert Co. and died in 1684, leaving sons John (d. 1710/11) and Richard.  His widow Mary then married Benjamin Evans. Because of the similarity of names, times and places, this family must be carefully distinguished from the Bowlings of Boarman’s Manor.

—Edmund Bowling of Resurrection Hundred, St. Mary’s County. He died in 1755, with adult son John and minor son William. His estate was 142 acres of Collingwood and 40 adjacent acres, both of which he received through the estate of William Hardy (d. 1737 St. Mary’s), for whom he was executor.

—The Bowlings of Stafford County, Virginia, descended from Simon Bowling (b. before 1655) and his son Robert Bowling (b. before 1680).

—The Bollings of central Virginia, descended from Col. Robert Bolling and Pocahontas. Col. Bolling’s family came from Bolling Hall near Bradford, Yorkshire.

For various Bolling/Bowling families, see also The Bolling Family Association.