William Dowling son of Robert Dowling and Unknown Wife was born c. 1745. He. William Dowling, Robert's only son by his first wife (name unknown) isthought by some to have been born as late as 1756. However heprobably married in VA before coming to SC in 1770. His King George'sgrant of SC land is dated 1771 which is two years earlier than hisfather's grant of 1773. William was probably married beforeleaving VA, for wife Rebecca Walker was a native of that state (and adaughter of Nathanial and Marian Walker). The tract of landgranted William in 1771 was sixty acres in size and lay on Flat Creek'in Craven County'. That old county covered over two-thirds of SC; itwas strictly a wilderness with few whites in it, so only menofpioneering instinct dared invade it. Adjoining the farm thatWilliam cleared were the lands of a William Breton and a widow Gibson. Dowling's 'Quit-rent' to the King's collectors in January of 1774 isproof of his residence in today's Darlington county area prior to hissubsequent move. By 1775 William had moved one hundred miles tothe southwest; he had decided to leave unsettled Craven County for themore stable Orangeburg District. The latter was near enough to theSavannah waterway on the southern border of the state that for almosta century a portion of its area had been known as Colleton County. It was at this third known home of William's that history was to letyoung Dowling live his last few years. He had purchased this farmfrom one Thomas Ford. It was on the Little Salkehatchee at CypressPond. This one hundred acre tract lay near present-day Bamber, SC. Hardly had these Dowlings settled on the Little Salkehatchee beforewar broke out with England. Young William responded to the call,though not by joining the 'regulars' as had father Robert. Instead,he joined the most dreaded band of guerillas that warfare had everknown: the backwoods followers of the 'Swampfox', General FrancisMarion. American history books tell of the many times that thesemen existed by eating sweet potatoes meal after meal. It was withthem that William fought in the hopeless defense of Charleston. Andit was England's revocation of the paroles originally granted thesedefeated Colonists after that battle and British insistence thatfrontiersmen be gathered up to fight for the King that is thought byhistorians to be the act that later caused such brilliant fighting bythe Carolinians. William was undoubtedly a 'Shirt-sleeve' patriot. . . one who did not always take time to don his uniform. For hisname is not on the official list of Marion's men. But the enemy hadhis name on a list. before the heatgenerated in this fight whichoftentimes involved neighbor against neighbor had died away in the1780's, he was caught at home by a bunch of Tories and shot dead onthe spot. Dowling's twelve-year old son, Jabez, looked on helplesslyas the muskets boomed. The war was over but only the leaders hadsigned the peace treaty. REFERENCE: A Dowling Family of the South.

William died c. 1785. He married Rebecca Walker.

Rebecca Walker was the daughter of Nathanial Walker ( - ) and Marian Unknown ( - ). She and William Dowling had the following children: