Interesting Life Ends - Capt. William Bowling Died at Rougmont Yesterday - Nearly 200 Living Descendants

Capt. William Bowling, whose life dated back to the stormy period nearly one hundred years ago, died at his home at Rougemont yesterday morning at 11 o'clock. His death has been daily expected for several weeks and the end was no surprise to his many relatives and numerous friends who had been keeping in touch with his condition from day to day. The machinery of his life simply gave away, this alone being the cause of his death.

The funeral will take place from the Red Mountain Baptist Church this afternoon at 2 o'clock and the burial will be in the grave yard at that church. The funeral service will be conducted by Rev. Mr. Stradley, of Oxford. The pall and floral bearers will be as follows: Messrs. E.W. Thacker, W.A. Carver, R. Bowen, Noah Jeffreys, Weldon Hall, John Parker, John W. Rhew and E. Cothran. Floral bearers - Messrs. W.B. Bowen, Cleveland Timberlake, Richard Timberlake, W.D. Bowling, C.A. Anderson, Grover Tilley, Henry Umstead and E. Parrish.

There are many relatives and a great many friends of Capt. Bowling in this city and quite a large number will go out from here today to attend the last sad rites over his remains.

The life of Capt. William Bowling stretches back to that period that to think of it now seems like old history. He was the son of Willis Bowling and was born in 1817, two years after the Battle of Waterloo, and remembered distinctly when he was told of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte, this being when he was a child of 4 years of age. He recalled the time when the settlers of this section were far apart and when there were roving bands of Indians in this section of the country.

He began voting at the election of 1838 and has voted in every general election from that time up to the present, voting at the same place, as he never changed his home place, living all of his long, useful and honored life in the community where yesterday he died.

In the beginning of his life as a young man he was an old time Whig, from the time of the civil war up to 1900, he was a democrat and from 1900 to his death was a republican.
The father of Capt. Bowling was Willis Bowling, who was born at Bowling's Mountain, Granville County, and who lived until 1881, dying at the age of 92 years. His grandfather was John Bowling, who was born in Maryland in 1755 and after the revolutionary war, in which he fought, he moved to this part of the country, dying at Bowling's Mountain.

Capt. Bowling was twice married. His first wife was Miss Martha Jones - whom he married in 1838 - who lived near Rougemont, and of this union there were eight children, three of who are now living, as follows: J.G. Bowling, of Greenville; Mrs. A.W. Umstead of Rougemont, and Mrs. J.H. Holloway, of Gorman.

His second wife was Miss Bettie Tapp, of Orange County, whom he married in 1866, and of this union there are five living children, as follows: Dr. E.H. Bowling, this city; B.P. Bowling, Rougemont, Mrs. S.H. Jones, Greenville; Mrs. J.E. Bowling, Durham, and Miss Corinne Bowling, who lives at the home place.

This family, the descendants now living, is probably the largest in the state. In addition to the eight living children there are eighty grandchildren, ninety great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren making a total of almost two hundred descendants now living. Should they all gather at the funeral, and be accompanied by their family connections it would take a large and well appointed hotel to take care of them.

There are two incidents of more than ordinary interest in connection with this family. First, Capt. Bowling lived to see five generations of his family living at one time, and a year or so ago a photograph was taken showing one of each of the five generations. His father, Willis Bowling, lived to see five generations, and his grandmother, the wife of John Bowling, lived to see five generations of her family alive. Second, this family has been represented in every war fought by the United States with the single exception of the Spanish-American War.

Capt. Bowling lived a quiet and temperate life - temperate in all things. "Early to bed and early to rise" was one motto. Living in the quiet of country life, away from the stirring scenes of city strife, his years lengthened until almost the century mark had been reached. He never smoked, never chewed and it was only occasionally that he touched strong drink.

He was a remarkable career - remarkable in isolation and quietness - and he lived to see great changes and great progress in the world's history.