Zachariah Ellis Coombes, Sr.

Zachariah Ellis COOMBES, Sr. was born 30 Mar 1833 in Bloomfield, Nelson County, Kentucky to William Nelson and Ivy (GREEN) COOMBES. His family moved to Texas in 1843. He appears in his father's household as a seventeen-year-old in the Census of 1850. (See Dallas County)
    He married Rebecca Finch BEDFORD in Hallowed Chapel (Dallas County) 28 Dec 1856. Zachariah served as a Captain in Co. G 31st Texas Cavalry during the Civil War.
Rebecca Finch BEDFORD was born 2 Nov 1836 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, to Benjamin BEDFORD and Sallie BEAZLEY. She died in Dallas, Texas, 28 Dec 1884.

NOTE: Z. E. was a very active man.

Teacher on Brazos Agency Indian Reservation (Fort Belknap, Texas) 1858-1859; he later published his diary The Diary of a Frontiersman: 1858-1859
Soldier - Civil War (1861-1865)
Judge in Dallas County, Texas 1866-1868
Lawyer 1870
Alderman in Dallas County 1871
State Representative to the 9th Texas Legislature (House) 1883-1885
Grand Master of the Masons of Texas
Bought from HG Bedford war deed G-515 12-1-1877 Block 97 in city Tarrant County, Texas.
Ward of I.N. Coombes' heirs

Rebecca died in Dallas, Texas 28 Dec 1884. Zachariah Ellis COOMBES, Sr. died 20 Nov 1895 in Dallas, Texas.

01 Apr 1881 A printed "Resolution" from the Dallas bar regarding Judge Z. E. COOMBES along with a picture of him. The picture states on the back that it was: Z. E. COOMBES taken about the 1st April 1881, and was attached to the Resolution as follows:

Judge Z. E. Coombes
Departed This life Nov. 20, 1895
The Dallas Bar
Resolutions of the Respect to the Memory of Judge Z. E. Coombes

The bar association met yesterday to receive and consider resolutions of respect to Judge COOMBES' memory, President W. B. Gano in the chair. The committee on resolutions reported as follows:

Z. E. COOMBES was born in Nelson county, Kentucky, in 1833 and came to Dallas in 1842, and has resided here ever since. He was county clerk in Dallas County for many years, the county judge. About 1870 he began active law practice, first a member of the firm of COOMBES & BOWER, then GOOD, BOWER & COOMBES, and later COOMBES & GANO, which last firm existed for ten years. He was past Grand Master of the Masons of Texas. He at one time represented this county in the legislature. He was a splendid soldier all through our civil war in the confederate army. His religion was dear to him, and he had long been a worthy member of the Christian church. Death has taken him from us, and his brother lawyers now assembled do therefore

Resloved, that Z. E. COOMBES in his life was a good citizen, a true man, a faithful lawyer and a consistent chrisian, and in saying this we are justified by the record he has left with us -- what each member of this bar would wish may be said of him when he, toom shall have passed away.

Resolved further, that this tribute of brother lawyers so his memory, sincere as it be, will shine on the records of our courts with a more gracious luster if we are enabled to emulate the purity and the goodness as well as the professional ability of the life of our departed brother.

Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions shall be conveyed to his bereaved family, and presented to our different firms for record upon their minutes.

Philip Lindsley
R. E. Burke
W. B. Gano
E. G. Bower
W. W. Leake
Edward Gray,
committee.

The resolutions being adopted, the following members of the bar were appointed to represented them to the courts: W. B. GANO to the civil court of appeals; Philip LINDSLEY to the United States circuit court; Judge Tucker to the forty-fourth district court; Col. Leake to the fourteenth district court; J. M. Dickson to the county court; Judge Bower to the court of criminal appeals; R. B. Seay to the criminal district court.

Eloquent tribute to the worth and character of Judge COOMBES, in tender and feeling tones, were made by Judge Reaves, Henry, Burke, Tucker, Gray and by Messrs. Seay, Gano and De Arnold.

The following members of the bar were appointed pallbears: W. B. Gano. Charles Fred Tucker, John L. Henry, Philip Lindsley, John Bookout, and J. D Thomas.

It was moved and carried that The News and Times Herald be requested to publish the resolutions." (Transcribed by Combs Researcher Linda K. Green)

From The New Handbook of Texas in Six Volumes, Volume 2. Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association, 1996. (page 311)

"COOMBES, ZACHARIAH ELLIS (1833-1895). Zachariah Ellis COOMBES, lawyer, state legislator, and Confederate soldier, son of William and Ivy (GREEN) Coombes, was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, on March 30, 1833. (According to this article) The family moved to Dallas in 1843 as early members of the Peters colony(qv) and originally settled just west of the Trinity River. As a young man COOMBES returned to Kentucky for his education. (No mentioned of what COMBS family he was near during this stay for education in this article, nor does not mention where in KY he was educated or when he returned to Texas, but he returned bef 1856, because article goes on to say) On December 10, 1856, he married Rebecca Finch BEDFORD in Dallas. The couple have seven children."...(Article goes on to mention his job with the Brazos Indian Reservation while employed by the Brazos Agency to conduct a school with the aforemention. His Confederate Army membership for the Texas Calvary. He studied law and became a Dallas lawyer, and his political career in the State of Texas.)
............................................................He died on November 25, 1895, and was buried in Dallas."

(Excerpted by Combs Researcher Birdie McNutt)

Note: Who's the seventh child?

Excerpted by Combs Researcher Jeannette Lehman from The Diary of a Frontiersman 1858-1859 written by Zachariah Ellis Coombes, edited by Barbara Neal Ledbetter. The intro in the book reads: "This is the authentic diary of a frontiersman. The diary is a day by day account of the happenings of the frontier as seen through the eyes of a schoolteacher. The teacher, Mr. Z.E. COOMBES was employed by the US Government at a salary of $800 per year to teach the children of families living on the Brazos Agency Indian Reservation. Aside from his teaching duties, Mr. COOMBES made a agreement with the Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Texas to supply food and lodging for those who were to come and go on the reserve…

The diary covers the last of the year 1858 and the beginning of the year 1859. This particular year was a critical time in the Indian Affairs in Texas. Many events have been duly recorded in the pages of history but some events contained in this dairy are here recorded for the first time.

Mr. COOMBES expected no one to read his diary, and it has in fact lain dormant for over 100 years. .....His diary has been copied and recorded in this publication for the very first time. It is authentic and as far as this editor could ascertain, every letter and word is exactly as the writer intended it to be. The unusual spelling in some instances only add to the writing of the events.

A close look at the list of people in the index will show the reader of whom the teacher writes................The purpose of this publication is to make available to the general public this significant document of Texas History." BNL 9/1/1962

[JL: There is an index in the back of names and places but no page #'s to refer them to.]

P.iv "Writer's Biography"

"Zachariah Ellis COOMBES was born in Kentucky and came to Texas at the age of ten years. His father was William COOMBES. William COOMBES arrived in Texas in 1843 as one of the first families of Peter's Colony. Z.E. COOMBES married Rebecca F BEDFORD.

"Zachariah Ellis COOMBES had a family of brothers and sisters as follows:
Leven G. COOMBES mrd Jane H. HEADY
Isaac N. COOMBES mrd Berilla K. MYERS
Margaret A. COOMBES mrd Thomas A. CAMPBELL
Mary M. COOMBES mrd Levi M. BUMPAS
Rebecca F. COOMBES mrd William L. HOLT
and he had two half brothers, Samuel H. COOMBES and John W. COOMBES. He also had 3 half sisters.

"Z. E. COOMBES served as a soldier during the Civil War. After the war he served the people of Dallas County. He served Dallas as Judge from 1866-1868. He was a Dallas County alderman during 1871 and a member of the Texas 19th Legislature (House) from 1883 to 1885. Although Mr. COOMBES was a teacher on the Indian Reservation during 1858 and 1859 he was a lawyer by profession.

"Mr. COOMBES was a gentleman of the highest order. He was an intellectual and truly one of America's frontiersman. He was a member of the Masonic Order. Death came to him on November 25, 1895."

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