Bowlings of Southeast Kentucky including Clay, Jackson, Breathitt and surrounding areas.

We are descendants of the early Bollings/ Bowlings (along with misc. spellings) of Virginia and Kentucky.

Benjamin Bolling was born June 30, 1734 and died January 10,1832 in Flat Gap, Wise County, Virginia. He married Patty Phelps on June 20,1753 in Albermarle County, Virginia. Patty was born in 1736 in Albermarle County. Patty died on March 8, 1767 during childbirth with her daughter Elizabeth, in Rowan County, North Carolina. Benjamin later married Charity Larimore in 1768. Charity was born in 1734, and died in Flat Gap Wise County, Virginia. She is buried along side of Benjamin Bolling.


Rev. Jessie Bowling was born on May 22, 1758 in Orange, Hillsboro, North Carolina and died March 10,1841 in Quicksand Creek, Breathitt County Kentucky. He married first Polly Green, in 1776 in Wilkes County , Va. and she died just two years later, they had no children. He later married Mary Elizabeth Pennington on January 6, 1785 in Wilkes County North Carolina. She is the daughter of Micager Pennington and Nancy Jones. Mary was born on November 18,1765 in Grayson County, Va and died March 21, 1843 in Qucksand Creek, Breathitt County Kentucky. Together Jessie and Mary had 11 children.

Elijah "Lige" Bowling, son of Rev. Jessie Bowling was born on January 22, 1798 in Lee County, Va. and died on October 20, 1883 in Laurel County, KY. Lige married Susannah "Sookie" Roberts on March 18, 1819 in Clay County, Ky. Sookie was the daughter of Jesse Roberts and Nancy Anderson. She was born 1800 in Va.

Jesse Boyd Bowling, the son of  Elijah Bowling  and Susan Baker Born in 1830 had a son Jason Walker Baker Bowling, who was born on July 15, 1848 and died on February 25, 1911 in Fogertown, Clay County, Ky. Oral history in our family says that Jesse and Susan were not married when Jason, (some spellings are Jacient) was born. Susan's father took the baby and told  Jesse that he better do right by the baby and so he then later married Susan and they raised Jason together.

Susan Baker was born on 2 Jun 1830 in Buffalo, Owsley Co, KY and died on 18 Apr 1867 in Homeplace On Burton Fork Of Long's Creek, Breathitt Co, KY at age 36.

General Notes:  Before Susan married 'Preacher' Bob Burton, she had a first child born out of wedlock. His father was Jesse B Bowling. The child was named Jason Baker and was on 1 census of Owsley County. John Hammond Baker, Susan's father, took Jason to Nicholasville, Ky and adopted him to his father at the age of 1 month old. See court document, Nicholasville, KY. Jason was renamed Jason Walker Bowling. (See John J Dickey Diaries). Jason became a United States Federal Marshall. He married Kettie Bowling.

Susan married Jesse B Bowling, son of Elijah 'Lige' Bowling and Susannah Roberts, in Owsley Co, KY. Jesse was born on 14 Jan 1822 in Perry Co, Ky, died on 14 Sep 1878 in Laurel Co, KY at age 56, and was buried in Bowling Cemetery, Laurel Co, KY.

Jason Walker Bowling was the father to my great grandfather Albert Sidney Bowling. Jason married Kettie Bowling, daughter of Christopher Bowling and Elizabeth Cornett. She was born on January 5, 1854 and died June 11, 1916.  I have notes that say that Jason later married a Hampton, but I am still looking into that, for Kettie died five years after Jason.

Albert Sidney Bowling married Callie Bell Spicer, who was the daughter of Anderson R. Bowling, "Big Ance" and Nancy E. Baker. They were not married when Callie was born on March 15, 1878 and died on June 20, 1921. According to the 1880 federal census, Callie's mother Nancy was married to Sutton Moore, and on the census Sutton, aka as Elijah, was listed as her father. Nancy married Big Ance a few years later, and had a few more children. Anderson was married to a Hacker, and the oral history of their family states that Anderson had two boys with Ms. Hacker, and he took the boys and she never saw them again. Albert died on December 13, 1922 of pulmonary Tuberculosis. Callie had preceded him by six months, it is unknown to me how Callie died, for I am still trying to locate her death certificate.

Albert and Callie were cousins, Elijah Bowling had two sons, Jesse who was on the paternal side and Delaney who was on the maternal side. Jesse and Delaney were brothers.

Albert's parents had 9 children, Margaret, Eliza, John, Lucinda, Albert, Jesse, Amanda,Taylor and Chester. I have notes that lead me to believe that Chester may be the son of the Ms. Hampton  and Jason Walker Bowling, mentioned earlier. Kettie  had her children ranged from 1873 to 1885, and Chester was born in 1896 making that an eleven year span between the last two.

Albert and Callie Bowling had 5 children, Earl, Thomas, Maude, Nancy  and Wilson Pershing Bowling. Wilson the baby was born in 1919, and was the baby of the family. When Callie got sick, and died; Albert only survived for six months afterwards. I was told that the children were split up, and Wilson "Wick", my grandfather was sent to an orphanage in Ohio, where his sister Maude worked. Maud died at the age of 27 years old from TB as well, like her father. So I am only assuming that Callie died from it as well.

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