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The Bowling family line

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM¹ BOWLING¹ was born Abt. 1800, and died Bef. 1881. He married ANN ?JONES¹ Abt. 1823. She was born Abt. 1800.

William and Ann lived at the following addresses:

1834: Hanover St, Rotherhithe, Occupation Labourer.

1840 (parish records) Hanover St. Occupation Mariner.

1843 (parish records) Hanover St. Occupation Mariner.

Children of WILLIAM BOWLING and ANN ?JONES are:

i. WILLIAM JONES² BOWLING¹, b. February 01, 1824, Rotherhithe.

William was a witness at Charles and Jane's wedding in 1888. The 1881 census reveals only 1 'suitable' William, he was a convict in Wormwood Scrubs. Aged 52 and born in 'St Lukes City'. Besides being a convict his occupation was dealer.

ii. JOHN JONES BOWLING¹, b. August 21, 1825, Rotherhithe; m. MAY; b. Abt. 1825, Mddx.

1881: John was living at 19 Elephant Lane with May, his wife. He was a labourer.

2. iii. JAMES BOWLING, b. October 21, 1827, St Mary, Rotherhithe; d. Aft. 1891.

iv. THOMAS BOWLING, b. 1830; d. 1836, Hanover St, Rotherhithe.  Burial: November 27, 1836²

v. MARY ANN BOWLING³, b. November 04, 1832, Rotherhithe; d. 1834, Hanover St, Rotherhithe.  Burial: February 05, 1834⁴

vi. MARIANNE BOWLING⁵, b. June 07, 1835, Rotherhithe.

vii. ANN BOWLING⁵, b. November 12, 1837, Rotherhithe.

viii. THOMAS BOWLING⁵, b. December 20, 1840, Rotherhithe.

1881: A Thomas HL Bowling was working as a secretary at 'HMS Duke of Wellington' at Portsmouth. I think this was a shore base. I'm not sure it is the 'correct' Thomas, he is noted as born in Middlesex, but his age is right. No other suitable Thomases in the census.

ix. HENRY JONES BOWLING⁵, b. April 1843, Rotherhithe.

1881 census (info from Alan Bowling) There is a Henry at Cold Blows Lodge in Mitcham, occupation general dealer, married to Sarah E Bowling, age 38, laundress.

3. x. MATTHEW BOWLING, b. February 18, 1846, Rotherhithe.

4. xi. JOHN BOWLING, b. 1852.

xii. WILLIAM BOWLING, b. 1847⁵.

 

Generation No. 2

2. JAMES² BOWLING (WILLIAM¹) was born October 21, 1827 in St Mary, Rotherhithe⁵, and died Aft. 1891⁶. He married MARY SARAH BARTLETT December 25, 1850 in St George the Martyr, Southwark. She was born Abt. 1827 in St Pancras, Mddx, and died Aft. 1891.

Marriage cert of James and Mary Sarah Bartlett: married from White St, Southwark. 

Witnesses: William Bartlett and Susan Elizabeth Bartlett

1852 (parish records) Living at Norfolk Place. Occupation labourer.

1858 (parish records) Living at 10 Kennings Buildings, Rotherhithe. Occupation labourer.

1863 (cbc) living at 9 Globe Yard, Poplar. James is a Labourer at the coal wharf.

1864 (parish records) Living at 1 Norfolk Place, Swan Lane, Rotherhithe. James is a Labourer.

At the 1881 census the family were living at 6 Ainsty St Rotherhithe, also there was a niece, Mary Corpe aged 8. No record of her on the igi. Bud remembers the Grashams and Bowlings were friends of the Corpes; as a child Bud was told to be very nice to them as they had suffered a tragedy which she thinks was a death in the railcrash in Kent (in which Charles Dickens was involved).

Ainsty St appears for the first time on the 1881 census, it therefore seems to have been built between 1871 and 1881.

Children of JAMES BOWLING and MARY BARTLETT are:

i. WILLIAM JOHN³ BOWLING, b. December 11, 1851, Rotherhithe.

ii. MARY ANN BOWLING, b. September 18, 1853.  Mary Ann does not appear on the 1881 census, when she would have been 28 - probably married by then

iii. JAMES HEARN BOWLING, b. September 30, 1855, Rotherhithe.

iv. GEORGE THOMAS BOWLING, b. February 27, 1858, St. Mary's, Rotherhithe⁷.

George does not appear on the 1881 census at Ainsty St - aged 23 then, probably had moved away, or more likely had died - no record of him on 1881 census index

v. EMMA SUSAN BOWLING, b. Abt. 1861, Poplar, Mddx; d. Abt. 1954; m. CHARLES WILLIAM COOPER COLLINS, December 23, 1883, Rotherhithe (Parish church)⁸; b. Abt. 1861.

In 1881 Emma was working as a housemaid in Islington (census)

Marriage Notes for EMMA BOWLING and CHARLES COLLINS: Witnesses: William John Bowling and Jane Anne Bowling. Charles married from ?? 9x ?Claremxxx Rotherhithe, Emma from 6 Ainsty St

From L to R: Fred, Lil, Val, Henry, Emma, Pat, Bud, Frank, Charlotte  - taken in the back garden of 2 Laburnum Drive, Corringham, about 1951 - Auntie Emm's 90th birthday.

 

Auntie Emm - After her marriage, Auntie Emm  went to live in Canada, but was abused by her husband (I seem to remember a story that she had been pushed down the stairs whilst pregnant, and lost the baby she was carrying - she turned to religion after this)  and returned to England.  She then lived with Henry and Lil (Lil was her niece, Lil's mother Ginny was already living with them).  Pat and I remember her, living in the back room of Nanna and Grandad's (Henry and Lil's) bungalow, at 2 Laburnam Drive, Corringham. She invariably dressed in dark colours, often in a long Victorian dress with a lace collar, or a long skirt and blouse. She seemed incredibly old to us - well, she was over 90. In her room were all sorts of interesting bits of furniture and things like old valentine cards. There was an enormous bed, with brass knobs.  According to grandad she had religious mania, she certainly always seemed to be reading her bible. She was a very gentle, kind old lady and Pat and I were very fond of her.

Auntie Emm was buried at West Tilbury.  The church is now a private residence, and the graves are very neglected.

Taken on a cold, wet day in March 2002, view from the church over the marshes.

5. vi. JANE ANN BOWLING, b. November 12, 1863, 9 Globe Yard, Poplar.

 

3. MATTHEW² BOWLING (WILLIAM¹)⁹ was born February 18, 1846 in Rotherhithe. He married DORCAS J¹⁰.

1881: Matthew was living with his family at 33 Albion St, Rotherhithe. He was a labourer.

Children of MATTHEW BOWLING and DORCAS J are:

i. THOMAS J³ BOWLING¹⁰, b. 1870, Rotherhithe.

ii. MARY ANN J BOWLING¹⁰, b. 1877, Rotherhithe.

iii. MATTHEW W BOWLING¹⁰, b. 1879, Rotherhithe.

iv. ELIZABETH M BOWLING¹⁰, b. 1881, Rotherhithe.

 

4. JOHN² BOWLING (WILLIAM¹) was born 1852. He married EMILY A.

John is probably a grandson rather than a son of Wm and Ann, but I'll put him here for the time being.

Child of JOHN BOWLING and EMILY A is:

i. EMILY A³ BOWLING, b. 1878.

 

Generation No. 3

5.  JANE BOWLING (JAMES², WILLIAM¹) was born November 12, 1863 in 9 Globe Yard, Poplar¹¹. She married CHARLES THOMAS GRASHAM 1895. He was born Abt. 1866 in Rotherhithe, and died Bef. 1923.

In 1881 census Jane is listed as a servant to Mary Baldock a 50 year old unmarried teacher. They lived at 37 Fish St Hill

Bud remembers her grandmother living with Henry and Lilian. Promptly at the end of the evening meal she would retire to the privy, only returning when the washing up was done! She took to her bed every October with bottles of Friars Balsam. She was very outspoken, and could swear like a trooper - Bud says she and her sister Emma could not have been more different. Bud very kindly has given me Mary Anne's gold watch, and a pendant with her photo showing her wearing the watch.

Child of JANE BOWLING and CHARLES GRASHAM is:

i. LILIAN FLORENCE⁴ GRASHAM, b. September 18, 1895, London 12 Ainsty St, Rotherhithe; d. 1972, Mayday Hosp, Croydon; m. HENRY GEORGE WILKINS February 02, 1923; b. March 04, 1894, Southend Rd, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex; d. 1966, Hampshire, of a stroke. Year of death not sure.

(See Grasham or Wilkins pages for continuing family tree)

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