Clay County, Kentucky:       Kathryn Combs Biography

Submitted to the KyGenWeb by:  Glenda Flaugher 
                               10 June 2001
                               joyfull200@hotmail.com
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Kathryn {Sarah Kathryn-Kat-Big Mom) Combs

On the 1920 census Kathryn is listed as Nathun? the head of the household 
with three children living at home.  Myrtle, d, age 17,  Otis, s, age 15, & 
Nettie M., d, age 13 and living next to her parents [James Slaughter and 
Mary Cathreine Handy-Combs].   Kathryn's parents (James Slaughter & Mary C. 
Combs) gave her some land and built her and her children a house across the 
road from their home.  (After looking at the census records I now think that 
James Slaughter Combs must have originally built the home for his mother and 
brother to live in.  After their deaths I believe that he then gave it to 
Kathryn and her family to live in)  Kathryn was called Kat or Big Mom by 
everyone.  She supported her family by raising a garden in the summer and 
canning or drying the produce.  She also raised chickens and a few hogs.  
Mom told me a story that Big Mom had told her when she was a little girl.  
It goes like this:  "One night after I had put all of the children to bed, 
and had gone to sleep I was awakened by a noise.  I laid real still because 
I didn't know what it was.  I heard foot steps in the house, but was to 
scared to move.  I laid there in bed frozen with fear. All of the sudden I 
felt a hand go under the pillow of my bed.  I was terrified.  I just laid 
there.  After a while I heard the footsteps leave.  I laid there a few 
moments and then I got up.  I lit the lamp and there on the floor of the 
house was a pair of muddy footprints."  She was a well known seamstress in 
and around her home and a company in Cincinnati, Ohio hired her to make hand 
made quilts for them to sell. She would lay off the quilts and have the 
local ladies quilt the quilt.  After it was done she would send it the 
Cincinnati and they in turn would pay her.  One year for Christmas the 
company sent her an extra $20 gold piece for all of the fine work that she 
had done for them over the year. Her house was small...only four rooms, but 
when my mothers father died she took in Nettie (her daughter) and her 
family.  That was two adults and six (and sometime more) children living in 
that tiny house.  They managed.  Big Mom was just that way.  I can remember 
that she always did love flowers.  In the summertime she would have flowers 
in all kinds of pots sitting on her porch.  As far as I know Big Mom never 
cut her hair. It was always long and she would twist it and wear it in a bun 
on top of her head.  I am glad to say that I was old enough to get to know 
her before she passed away.  She lived with Nettie and Brown Edwards for a 
few years in Norwood, Ohio.  When Nettie got sick it was decided it was best 
to put Big Mom in a nursing home.  She was a resident of the Clemmie Smith 
Personal Care Home at Beattyville, Kentucky.  It was really nice there, 
because she knew so many people, and when anyone came to visit they would 
visit everyone there.  It was like one big home.  On her 90th birthday she 
received a letter of congratulations from the former governor of 
Kentucky-Bert Thomas Combs.   She was a resident there for four years prier 
to her death in 1963.  She was 91 years  2 months  12 days old at her death.

As per Kentucky Death Records:
name: Kathrne Combs
age: 091
place: Lee
residence: Owsley
date: 09-30-1963
volume: 050
certificate #: 24578
deathvolume: 1963

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