Important Announcement! The Combs &c. Research Group Proudly Presents the First Electronic Edition of the book, "Combs, a Study in Comparative Philology and Genealogy" by Josiah H. Combs, Ph.D., University of Paris, Copyright 1976 by Norris K. Combs, Published
by Norris K. Combs, Pensacola, Florida, 1976, reprinted 1979, and Electronically reprinted by the Combs &c. Research Group in 1999, including an Introduction, Full Index, Footnotes and (ultimately) Gedcoms.
The Early Combs of East Kentucky mostly came to that part of Clay and Floyd Counties, KY which became Perry County in 1820-21. Most, if not all, appear to have come to Clay and Floyd most recently from either Russell or Grayson Countiess, VA; Sullivan or Hawkins Counties, TN; or the Kentucky counties of Casey, Cumberland,
Lincoln or Wayne.
As the years passed, more counties were created, and the East Kentucky Combs Counties later included: Breathitt, established in 1839 from Clay, Estill
and Perry; Letcher, established in 1842 from Perry and Harlan; Owsley,
established in 1843 from Breathitt, Clay and Estill; Leslie, established in 1878 from Clay, Harlan and Perry; and Knott, established in 1884 from Breathitt, Floyd and Perry. Also Note: In 1843, Perry gained land from Clay, primarily in the NW section of the county, adjacent also to the newly created Owsley.
Most, if not all, of The Combes of Early East Kentucky also appear to have been descendants of Mason & Combs, Sr. of VA and NC, with the largest group having descended from Mason's eldest son, John
& Nancy HARDING Combs, Sr ., "father of the eight" brothers (possibly the same who d 1820, Floyd Co, KY). The "eight brothers" (son of John & Nancy HARDING Combs) have
been recently and tentatively identified as:
RW William "8", possibly married Nell CLOUD
RW Nicholas "8" (Danger), married Nancy GRIGSBY
RW John "8", married Margaret
Mason "8", married Jane RICHARDSON
Biram "8", married a RIDGE (includes a chronology of
early Biram Combs, both East KY and IN)
Henry "8", married Rachel CLEMENTS
George "8", married Lydia HARRELL (a.k.a. HERALD, HERRELL, etc.)
Elijah "8", married Sarah "Sallie" ROARK.
Others were probably descendants of William
and Seth STACY Combs, Sr . of Russell Co, VA, who was also a son of Mason Combs, Sr., and who may himself have come to Clay County. Of these possible descendants of
William & Seth STACY Combs, Sr., one may have been John Combs IIIwho, according to The Combes Genealogy, was the father of Jeremiah L. Combs, Sr., Shadrach "Old Shade" Combs; Millie Combs (w/o William SMITH) and Mason Combs, h/o Matilda WATTS.
Numerous East Kentucky Combs continue to dangle, however, and while some were probably unidentified sons of one or more
of the above, it is also possible that one or more were sons of Mason & Dorothy Combs of Hawkins Co, TN (also a probable son of Mason, Sr.). Another possibility is that some may have been still-unidentified sons of Mason Combs, Sr. himself, none of whose possible later children,
i.e., those who might have been born post-1751 (after he left Stafford Co, VA), have been identified as yet. In the meantime, research continues, and researchers are strongly urged to check back regularly for updates.
Additional Combs Research Reports for East Kentucky include:
Benjamin & Ann Combs Stacy, Sr. (daughter of Mason Combs, Sr.)
Cody-Combs-Stacy Connections
Early Jeremiah Combs of the Southern Frontier
Jesse and Polly BOLLING Combs (son of Elijah "8" and Sarah ROARK Combs, Sr.)
Richard and Elitia Combs Smith (daughter of Nicholas "8" & Nancy GRIGSBY Combs, Sr.)
Two Hiram and Mary Combs of Perry Co, KY and Madison Co, AR (also includes much about the family of Elijah and Polly Combs Combs,
Jr.)
Two Alexander and Mary (Polly) Combs of Perry Co, KY (Alexander S. and Mary BRASHEAR Combs and Alexander and Polly Combs Combs)
Note: As various records are collected by Combs Research permitting documentation of various lineages, Combs Family Research Reports such as the above are created based on (except where otherwise noted) primarily the following sources:
Kentucky Combs Counties of Record
Revolutionary War Files
Dickey Diary Interviews, many of which are the only
documentation for numerous East Kentucky Combs Lines
Family Bible Records
Combs Miscellaneous Sources (letters, biographies, family histories, etc.)
The Combes Genealogy by Dr. Josiah H. Combs. Note: A new on-line edition is being published by Combs Research, and as a result, we have begun adding more and more data from this source to our Kentucky Combs County Reports. A reminder that this source does not (for the most part) include documentation,
but is primarily for "clues" (early years) and a source for oral family traditions (later years). Once the new on-line edition is published, it will include footnotes for both documentation and corrections.
Also Note:
Except where otherwise noted, the source for all land surveys is: The Kentucky Land Grants, A
Systematic Index to All of the Land Grants Recorded in the State Land Office at Frankfort, Kentucky 1782 -- 1924, Volume 1, Part 1, Willard Rouse Jillson, Sc. D. (Originally published as Filson Club Publications, Number 33, KY, hereinafter, KLG)
Also Note: All records posted to the Combs Research List may not have been added to our web reports yet. These records can be located in our Combs Research List Archives (all back postings to our list).
