Who is William COMBS that had the 1838 land patent in Jackson County, Missouri?

The actual land deed has never been located in the Jackson County, Missouri Courthouse for William COMBS. Therefore the following analysis has been undertaken in an effort to identify this William COMBS.

The Bureau of Land Management indicate that a William COMBS had the following parcel of land (Bureau of Land Management. (May 11, 1998). "Eastern States, General Land Office." 7450 Boston Boulevard, Springfield, Virginia 22153-3121. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/):

NAME: William COMBS
DATE OF SIGNING: 28 JUL 1838
TYPE: Cash Entry Sale
LAND OFFICE: Lexington
FEDERAL NUMBER: 10040
MISSOURI NUMBER: MO1240.484
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Lot 1, NW 1/4; Section 3, Township 50 N, Range 31 W
NUMBER OF ACRES: 80
COUNTY LOCATED: Clay/Jackson
STATE: Missouri

The 1830 US Census for Jackson County, Missouri has the following information on a William COMBS (1830 US Census, Missouri - Jackson County. p. 308, line 5):

NAME OF HEAD OF FAMILY: William COMBS
MALES 20 & UNDER 30: 1
FEMALES UNDER 5 YEARS: 3
FEMALES 20 & UNDER 30: 1
TOTAL: 5

The 1840 US Census for Jackson County, Missouri does not have a William COMBS listed. The William COMBS recorded are from Ray (!840 US Census, Missouri - Ray. p. 325), Clark (1840 US Census, Missouri - Clark. p. 343, line 23), Buchanan (1840 US Census, Missouri - Buchanan, p. 171) and Pulaski (1840 US Census, Missouri - Pulaski. p. 209). The only William COMBS from this group which appeared could match was William COMBS of Ray County, Missouri.

BSM Notes: In 1830 William Stacy is in Jackson Co., MO. He is the son of Benjamin and Barbara Combs Stacy. He is there with William Combs in 1830 and then in 1840 William Combs is in Ray County, MO with my George Stacy (and his wife, Mary Summers Stacy & family). I don't know who the parents of William Combs are, but it would more than likely be the Combs family most closely associated with Ben and Barbara Combs Stacy, and my George Stacy.

William Stacy died in Jackson Co., MO (ca 1836) and his widow, Joicy Land Stacy married William Spencer. William Stacy and Joicy had two children, George Stacy and Rebecca Stacy. She had many more children by Mr. Spencer. (Barbara Stacy Mathews)

The 1850 Census for William COMBS were reviewed for possible matches between the 1830 and the 1850 Missouri Census data. William COMBS of Atchison County had the following information recorded:

COMBS, William. 46, born Kentucky
Margaret. 43, born Kentucky
Daniel. 18, born Missouri
Jessie. 16, born Kentucky
Jackson. 13, born Kentucky
William T. 10 born Kentucky

According to the 1990 Atchison County Historical Society publication Gone, But Not Forgotten, William Thomas COMBS was born 10 DEC 1840 in Ray County, Missouri; and not in Kentucky (Atchison County Historical Society. (1990). Gone, But Not Forgotten. Atchison County, MO: Atchison County Historical Society. p. 7, line 30).

The following COMBS marriages are recorded in Atchison County, Missouri as follows (Atchison County Marriage Index, Atchison County, Missouri):

Lucy COMBS to Nathan BLEVINS, 22 JAN 1846
Scyntha COMBS to Isom WRIGHT, 4 JUN 1846
Elizabeth COMBS to Joseph WAITS, 2 JUN 1848

These three COMBS are the daughters of William and Margaret COMBS of Atchison County, Missouri. They had seven known children. If the marriage dates are compared to the 1850 US Census data for Atchison County, Missouri it can be demonstrated that these three girls would not be included in the William COMBS family. The ages of these three women are as follows:

Lucy (COMBS) (BLEVINS) GILKISON died 5 NOV 1871, age 44 years, 2 months, 24 days (Atchison County Historical Society. (1990). Gone, But Not Forgotten. Atchison County, MO: Atchison County Historical Society. p. 7, line 57). Calculated date of birth is 12 AUG 1827.

Scynta (COMBS) WRIGHT born about 1827 (1850 US Census, Missouri - Atchison County).

Elizabeth (COMBS) WAITS died 2 SEP 1868, age 39 years, 3 months (Atchison County Historical Society. (1990). Gone, But Not Forgotten. Atchison County, MO: Atchison County Historical Society. p. 9, line 26). Calculated date of birth is 2 JUN 1829.

William COMBS was born 24 JAN 1804. Margaret (ROBERTS) COMBS was born 9 JAN 1806 (Atchison County Historical Society. (1990). Gone, But Not Forgotten. Atchison County, MO: Atchison County Historical Society. p. 7, lines 26-27 & 32-33). In 1830 William COMBS would have been 26. In 1830 Margaret COMBS would have been 24. Therefore the family census in 1830 would be consistent to the family unit recorded for William COMBS in Jackson County, Missouri in 1830. Based on this information a strong case can be made that William COMBS in Atchison County, Missouri is the same William COMBS who had the land patent in Jackson County, Missouri - MALES 20 & UNDER 30: 1; FEMALES UNDER 5 YEARS: 3; FEMALES 20 & UNDER 30: 1; TOTAL: 5. The data also support the fact that Daniel COMBS was born about 1832 and in Missouri. William Thomas COMBS was born also in Missouri in 1840. It therefore appears that William COMBS moved to Missouri, returned to Kentucky, and then returned a second time to reside in Missouri.

The evidence which would be a strong supporting factor for this conclusion would be the deed where the property was sold in Jackson County, Missouri. This document should contain the name of the wife of William COMBS.

Michael R. WilSon
1109 NE 97th Place
Kansas City, Missouri 64155
mwilson@toto.net

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