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	Combs &c. Families of Franklin Co, TX (includes some Titus Co)

Franklin County was first a part of Red River County, one of the sixteen original counties of Texas; therefore, county records go back to 1836. In 1846 Red River County was split and the region became part of the newly-formed Titus County. That county was divided in 1875 into Franklin, Titus, and Morris Counties, with Mount Vernon elected the county seat of Franklin.

The 8^th smallest in Texas, Franklin County is bounded on the north by the Sulphur River and on the south by the headwaters of the Cypress watershed. Along its eastern border lay The Cherokee Trace, part of the Trail of Tears. For centuries the trail was a Caddo Indian highway connecting tribes in Texas to those in Oklahoma. The first settlements were at the junction of this trail and the Choctaw trail, which ran east-west through the county.

The first Anglo settlers arrived in July of 1818. By 1850, 2,000 people lived in the county, most from Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi. Although one-half the adult males died or were killed during the Civil War, migration after the war pushed the population up to 7,000 by 1900.

The first Combses in the area seem to be either the family of Thad COMBS or possibly an unidentified J. P. COMBS who was a Confederate veteran of Titus County. (Source: The Early Days of Franklin County, by B. F. Hicks, 1998.)

Note: All marriages were abstracted by the Optic-Herald, the local weekly newspaper. Census information is from the microfilm copies of the originals. All entries and annotations, unless otherwise noted, were by Combs Researcher and Web Editor S.C. Hefner.

4 Aug 1855 (then-Titus County, Texas obituary, Census records, birth certificates of children)
John Nelson COMBS born.

1862-1865 (Confederate Indigent Families Lists of Texas 1863-1865, by Linda Mearse)
COMBS, Thad, 2 in family, enumerated 1 Feb 1865 in Titus County, Texas

Civil War (Texas Confederate Soldiers: 1861-1865: Name Roster. Volume I. Ed. by Janet b. Hewett. Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1997.
Combs, Thadeous M. 11th Inf. Co. D

6 Sep 1877 (courthouse record)
John N. COMBS married Belle FERGUSON. 

6 Feb 1882 (obituary for John N. COMBS, headstone in Friendship Cemetery)
Thad W. COMBS born to John N. COMBS and Belle FERGUSON Combs.

5 Jan 1896 W. L. COMBS married Fannie SHEARER.

1898 Mt. Vernon. Died: Thomas McGuire SULLIVAN, b 19 Aug 1856, Texas; m 1878, Madison Co, AR, Lydia Ann JOHNSON, b 19 Aug 1857, Madison Co, AR; d 4 Jul 1955, Banning Riverside Co, CA; d/o Richmond & Ruth BURCHETT Johnson; gd/o Martin & Lydia HAWK Johnson, Jr. and ggd/o Martin & Sarah COMBS Johnson, Sr. of Hawkins & Warren Cos, TN, and Madison Co, AR. (Combs Researcher C. Hamet who adds: Not known where Thomas is buried. He was the s/o Stephen & Minerva TITSWORTH Sullivan of Tipton Co, TN & Lawrence Co, AR. Thomas' widowed mother may have been on the 1900 Franklin County, Texas census, but his wife returned to Madison Co, AR).

19 Jun 1900 (obituary for John Nelson COMBS and headstone in Friendship Cemetery.
Belle V. COMBS died

Note: The headstone gave her date of birth as 29 Sep 1860.

1 Jul 1900 W. S. COMBS married Claudia CASTLE.

19 Jan 1902 (obituary for John Nelson COMBS and headstone in Friendship Cemetery.)
Thad W. COMBS died.

Note: The headstone in Friendship Cemetery reads "Thad W. Combs, February 6, 1882 - January 19, 1902." It is next to the double headstone of his parents, John and Belle COMBS.

16 May 1903 Ivey Minnie COMBS born to Willis Sebron COMBS (age 28, farmer, born in GA) and Claudia Ellen CASTLE COMBS (age 25, born in TX). They had two other children at this time. (Source: birth certificate)

25 Jul 1903 (M. L. Edwards Funeral Home records)
"Little Girl of Ben COMBS" died of "Flux," age 4.

Note: This is Meda Francis COMBS, b. 16 Jun 1900, to Benjamin Britton and Selinda Ellen PENN COMBS. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hopkins Co. (Source: Gretta Combs Reich)

11 Apr 1904 (birth certificate)
"No Name" COMBS born to William COMBS and Elizabeth MANLEY COMBS.

Note: I assume this is Leeland who is 6 years old on the Census of 1910.

17 Dec 1905 John COMBS married Mrs. M. E. ADAIR.

Note: John N. COMBS first married Belle FERGUSON in 1877. Mrs. ADAIR'S given name was Emily.

4 Nov 1908 (M. L. Edwards Funeral Home records)
"Birdie" COMBS died.

Note: I believe this is Emily ADAIR COMBS, who, according to John Nelson Combs's obituary [below], was married to John for only "eighteen months" before she died.

15 Apr 1909 (Source: affadavit sworn on 1 Nov 1943)
Mildred Alice COMBS was born to William Franklin COMBS (age 39, farmer, born in TN) and Elizabeth MANLEY COMBS (age 40, born in TN). They had four other children at the time.

Note: Is this the same child as "Bernice," who is listed as one year old on the 1910 Census?

2 Aug 1909 J. N. COMBS married Lizzie MORGAN.

Note: This was John Nelson COMBS's third marriage. (Source: birth certificate for their child and obituary for John Nelson COMBS)

28 Dec 1910 Cecil Morris COMBS was born to John Nelson COMBS (age 54, farmer, born in TX) and Lizzie MORGAN COMBS (age 29, born in TX).

10 May 1919 A.B. COMBS married Coy LaFORCE.

Note: A. B.'s name was actually Amos Barm COMBS. He was the son of Henry and Emily JOINER/JOINEY COMBS. He was born in Arkansas, as were his parents. (Sources: birth certificate for children and death certificate). Coy LaFORCE was the daughter of N. R. (?) and Lillie LaFORCE. (Source: Tapp Funeral Home records)

17 May 1922 Suseanna COMBS married Lonie Leroy BREWER. (See Hopkins Co., TX)

10 Oct 1924 (death certificate, signed by Dr. J. M. Flemming)
John COMBS died of heart failure. His parents were Thad W. COMBS and Martha B. WILSON Combs.

(Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald, 17 Oct 1924, p. 4)
 Early last Friday morning news went out that John COMBS had died some time during the early hours of the morning, being found dead by his wife who had gotten up quietly to cook breakfast thinking she would not wake him because he had been indisposed for several days.

J. N. COMBS was born in Titus county, Texas, August 4, 1855. He was married to Miss Belle FERGUSON Sept. 6, 1877. Four children were born to them, as follows: Mrs. Mattie HOLLAND, of Mt. Vernon; Thad. W. COMBS, who died Jan. 19, 1902; Mrs. Maggie HENDERSON of Mercedes, Texas; Mack COMBS of California. Mrs. COMBS passed away on June 19, 1900. Mr. COMBS was afterwards married to Mrs. Emily ADAIR; she lived only 18 months. He was then married to Miss Lizzie MORGAN who with one son survive him. He was laid to rest on Saturday, Oct. 11, 1924, beside his wife at Friendship, Bro. A. E. BRADBURY conducting the service.

John COMBS was loved by all who knew him. He lived an honest, upright life, true to his family and his fellow man. He was a good citizen of this neighborhood from early childhood and will be missed by a host of friends.

Note: In some records, John Combs is listed as having been buried at Providence (e.g. Franklin County Death index;) however, I have seen his grave, and it is at Friendship.

1935 (death certificate)
Thomas William COMBS born 10 Apr 1935. He died 13 Apr 1935. He was born to A. B. COMBS and Coy LaFORCE COMBS. The cause of death is listed as Hemorrhage B Bows, confirmed by general symptoms. The death certificate was signed by H. E. CHANDLER. Burial was in Fairview. The undertaker was M. L. Edwards & Co. The father, A. B. COMBS was born in Arkansas; the mother, Coy LaFORCE COMBS was born in TalCounty, Texas [Franklin Co.].
Thomas William COMBS, 10 Apr 1935 - 13 Apr 1935, birthplace: Franklin Co.,

15 Oct 1943 (5 Nov 1998 reprint in Optic-Herald)
A list of WWII veterans published in the Optic-Herald included Pfc. Cecil COMBS, the son of Mrs. Lizzie ROBERTS.

Note: Lizzie ROBERTS was the third wife of John Nelson COMBS. After his death, she married T. R. ROBERTS.

9 Nov 1951 (Tapp Funeral Home records, death certificate, and Probate Records of Franklin County)
A.B. COMBS died. He was born 27 May 1896 in Arkansas. He was 55 years old when he died. He lived the last twelve years of his life in Talco. He was a farmer. His father was Henry COMBS, born in Arkansas. His mother was Emily JOINEY (Tapp Funeral Home record says, "Joiner.") COMBS, born in Arkansas. The cause of death was "Cardia-renal failure and Hypertension Heart Desease" [sic]. Tapp Funeral Home made arrangements, and he was buried in Harmony Cemetery. His will names his wife, Coy LaForce COMBS and four children. At the time of his death, he was also survived by one brother: Louis COMBS of San Francisco, and three sisters: Mrs. J. H. HUTCHINS of Edom, Texas; Mrs. Stella HATHCOAT of Saltillo, Texas; and Mrs. Andy RUSHING of Brashear, Texas.

Note: Coy COMBS died 25 Apr 1986 in Houston. However, she was buried in Harmony Cemetery. (Source: Tapp Funeral Home records.)

14 Mar 1960 (death certificate and M. L. Edwards Funeral Home records)
Mary Jane COMBS died 25 Feb 1960. She was born 25 Feb 1880 in Texas. Her parents were Ed HALL and Jane TARGET HALL. She was 80 years old and widowed. The cause of death was "cerebral vascular accident and generalized arterosclerrisis" [sic]. M. L. Edwards made the arrangements, and she is buried in the Mt. Vernon City Cemetery.

Note: It is unknown how Mary Jane COMBS was related to the other Combs families in the county.

Important: All Records collected for this county may not have been added here as yet. See also the Combs Research List Archives

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