The information below is the author's best guess regarding some of the descendants of Philip Combs, the Revolutionary War soldier that settled in Wilkes County, Georgia. Much of this is provable and some is conjecture so please do your own research before assuming that what is presented below is accurate. The author has personally researched this line from actual extant documents found at the GA Archives, Atlanta History Center, SC Archives and other libraries and institutions. He has also used published materials from other Combs, Hammock, Jackson, Starke and Eidson family researchers.
Philip Combs, Sr. (RS) - Revolutionary War Soldier, birth date and place unknown (likely Amelia County, Virginia or surrounds), per Thomas D. Knight [1], his wife was Abigail Hammock, the daughter of Benedict Hammock, Sr. and Elizabeth (Lewis?). He died Wilkes County, Georgia about 1828. The date of Abigail's death is not known but speculated to have been before he arrived in Georgia.
Known children and descendants of Philip Combs and Abigail Hammock:
- John Combs, Revolutionary War Soldier, b. 1764 in Amelia County, VA - d. 1850 in Powder Springs, Cobb County, GA; Married Milly Russell.
- Philip Combs - b. 1789 - d. after 1870 in Paulding or Cobb County, GA; Married Susannah (lnu) (b. 1799-?). All of their sons fought for the Confederacy.
- Mark Combs - soldier CSA
- Benjamin Combs - soldier CSA, KIA
- John Combs - soldier CSA
- Thomas Combs - soldier CSA
- James Combs - died 1818 in Wilkes County, GA; Married Permelia (Milly) (lnu)
- Thomas Combs
- John Combs
- William Combs
- Mary Ann Combs
- Jane Combs
- Francis Combs
- Sterling Combs - b. 1769 - d. 1847 in Augusta, GA; Married Mildred Wingfield. Lived in Wilkes, Jackson and Richmond Counties in Georgia. Sterling was a successful businessman.
- William Combs - married Sarah Evans, daughter of RS Lt. William Evans. William and Sarah had sons that served in the Confederate Army.
- Sterling Thomas Combs - married Celestia Frances Mealer/Meales.
- Sarah Garland Combs - married Dr. Joseph Adams Eve who was an early member of the Medical College of Georgia.
- Mary Polly Combs - married John Wesley Pentecost. They had seven sons that served in the Confederate Army losing two in that conflict.
- Enoch Combs - born 1770-1775 - died before 1850
- Abigail Combs
- Asa Combs
- Philip Combs, Jr. - born about 1788 - died about 1845; Married Elizabeth (Eidson?). Some researchers claim that Elizabeth was an EIDSON but the author has found no proof of this.
- Philip F. Combs, b. 1811-d. 1896; Married Sarah Garrard
- Thomas Combs, died after 1847
- Jeremiah Combs, b. 1806; died after 1860; Married Nancy Marlow?
- John S. Combs, b. 1819 - d. before 1850
- George Combs
- Zachariah P. Combs, d. 1821 or 1831? Estate file?
- Elizabeth Combs, b. 1814 - likely the Elizabeth that married Daniel Fouche in 1835.
- Mary Combs, b. 1821
- Daisy/Dory/Dovie Combs [3], b. abt 1810, married Anselm S. Jackson the son of John Jackson and the grandson of the Revolutionary War soldier Daniel Jackson. Daniel was the brother of Millenor Jackson that married Robert Hammock the 1st cousin of Benedict Hammock, Jr. and Abigail Hammock Combs (wife of Philip Combs, Sr.). See the author's research on his Jackson ancestors HERE.
- Martha Combs - died after 1838; Married unknown Jackson male. Their son was likely Daniel Jackson and/or possibly Mathew (see below).
- Nancy Combs - married Robert Hammock. Robert was the son of Benedict Hammock, Jr. and (probably) Mary Combs. [2] Note that Benedict Hammock, Jr. was the brother of the Abigail Hammock that married Philip Combs, Sr. thus Nancy Combs married her 1st cousin (double doses of cousins on the same family lines!).
- William Hammock [4]
- Jane Hammock [4]
- Nancy Hammock [4]
- Martha Hammock - probably the Patsy Hammock that married John Combs in 1811. Patsy was a common nickname for Martha. There is little known about this John Combs. [4]
- Unknown Combs - married James Woodruff - Probably died before the 1840 census was taken. A James Woodruff can be found on the 1840 and 1850 censuses living in Taliaferro County, GA with a much younger wife named Nancy living near Fouche and Flynt families that are shown living near a James Woodruff in Wilkes County on the 1830 census. The 1830 census shows a wife much older than is indicated on the 1850 census.
The following records are the most definitive documents proving the descendants of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS) as researched by the author. Note that Philip Combs, Sr. died about 1827 but it took many years for his estate to be settled. The tax digests HERE show that Philip Combs, Jr. was paying taxes as agent for his estate for many years. Based on the records below, it appears that the estate was mostly settled in the late 1830s; However, the descendants of his deceased son James Combs contested Philip Jr.'s handling of the estate and filed suit for their portion of the estate.
1837 record of the estate of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS) handled by his son Philip.
Sons Sterling and John are noted.
Estate of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS), paying William Hammock in right of his wife (Nancy Combs?)
William Hammock, Jane Hammock, Martha Combs and Nancy Hammock
Beneficiaries of the estate of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS). They are likely Philip's grandchildren via his deceased daughter Nancy who married Robert Hammock (son of Benedict, Jr.).
Estate of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS), paying James Woodruff in right of his wife
Martha Combs Jackson, daughter of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS). Married unknown Jackson male.
Martha or Mathew Jackson? Receiving money from the estate of Philip Combs, Sr. (RS)
Philip's daughter Martha or his grandson Mathew?
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| George Combs, deceased, 1862 His father, Philip F. Combs, administrator George was the son of Philip F. Combs. George enlisted in June of 1861 at Washington, Georgia with Company A, 9th Regiment, GA Volunteers, and noted to be the company's blacksmith. He then appears to have been with Company C, 11th Battalion, GA Artillery, Sumter Artillery and died in June 1, 1862, likely in the Richmond, VA area as this was just before the Seven Days Battle. Note that his brother, James T. Combs, served in these same 2 units. Interestingly, a Lt. John Wingfield was the officer that enlisted James. James is shown to have been a teamster (wagon master). Another brother, John A. Combs also served in the same units. Wesley P. Combs another brother. See records on Fold3.com. |
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General Notes
1. The Georgia Archives has a file for Philip Combs; However, the documents for Philip Combs, Sr. (RS) and his son Philip Combs, Jr. are mixed together in this file. One needs to note the 1830s dated documents are for Philip Combs, Sr. and the 1840s documents are for Philip Combs, Jr.
2. Philip Combs Jr. was the executor of his father's estate (Philip Combs, Sr., RS). Philip F. Combs was the executor of his father's estate (Philip Combs, Jr.)
3. The Will of James Combs can be found at the Georgia Archives. In 1838, Mary Ann and Jane took Philip Jr. to court seeking a share of their grandfather's estate (Philip, Sr., RS). William Combs was appointed as their attorney in fact. By the 1820 census, Milly is living in or around Rayle - close neighbors are Hartwell Jackson, Enoch Callaway, Asa Dearing and Ely Callaway.
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Footnotes
[1] See the book by Thomas Daniel Knight.
[2] The relationship between this Mary Combs and Philip Combs, Sr. is not known or even speculated about. Mary Combs Hammock is said to have died in 1811 in Greene County, GA.
[3] This is entirely speculative on the author's part - The author has not found any proof of Daisy being the daughter of Philip Combs, Jr. except for circumstantial and tangential evidence. See the page on Daisy HERE for more information.
[4] Per the fragments of estate documents for Philip Combs, Sr., William, Jane and Nancy Hammock and Martha Combs are all listed as receiving a distributive share of the estate of Philip Combs, Sr. These persons would likely be the grandchildren of Philip Combs, Sr. via his deceased daughter Nancy Combs Hammock. This scenario does make sense - that these four are the living descendants of Philip Combs, Sr's deceased daughter Nancy Combs Hammock. However, there is no mention of a Seaborn Hammock who is said to also have been a child of Nancy and Robert. We have only fragments of Philip Combs, Sr's estate so it is speculation about some of these relationships.
This page was created on 2/24/2025