Bowling Township, Illinois
Bowling Township is bounded by Rural on the east, Edgington on the west, north by Black Hawk and south by Mercer County. The country is quite rolling, with splendid farms, and plenty of timber land and prairie. The first settlers were Mr. Bowling, John Tyndall, William Tyndall and Edmond Cropper, in 1838. William Tyndall came to the county in 1835, living in Stephenson over two years. In 1841 James, David and John Clarke and John Johnston and Christopher Armstrong-all from Ireland-formed the next settlement, known as the Clarke settlement, in the southeastern part of the town-ship. Curtiss McKnight settled soon after. The first school was held about 1844 or 1845, in a small frame house on section 26.
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908
“Mr Bowling” of Bowling Township was Ambrose Green Bowling, a native of Virginia and veteran of the War of 1812. His older sister Margaret was married to Col. George Davenport. James Madison Bowling was his nephew, son of his brother Jeremiah.