Obituaries of John S. COMBS & Emma SEABER COMBS File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Matt Combs. matt_combs@juno.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations.
_________________________________________________________________________ HUSBAND: John Slidell MacKenzie COMBS Occ: Printer b. about 1844 Hampshire Co, WV Civil War Veteran d. 02 December 1909 Ridgeley, Mineral, WV 13th VA Inf, CSA m. 25 December 1871 Westernport, Allegany, MD b. Rose Hill Cemetary, Cumberland, MD John S. COMBS Obituary, The Cumberland Alleganian, 02 Dec 1909 AGED PRINTER DIES SUDDENLY John S. COMBS Died at an Early Hour Friday. GREW UP AT THE CASE. Had Been in the Employ of the Times Many Years - Learned His Apprenticeship Under His Father, the Late J.J. COMBS. Mr. John S. COMBS, printer and all round newspaper man, died rather suddenly Friday morning at 3:30 o'clock at his home in Ridgeley, W.Va, aged 65 years. He had been employed in the composing room of the Evening Times for about twenty years, with the exception of an interval of a year or more, during which time he was employed at Sebring, Ohio. He left his case in this office about a week ago, at which time he complained of being unwell, but his illness did not assume a serious phase until this morning at two o'clock, when he became paralyzed, passing away at the above mentioned hour. Mr. COMBS grew up at the "printer's case". He was a son of the late John J. COMBS of Romney, W.Va, founder of the Romney Review. The son learned to "set type" when a mere youth under his father, and continued in that occupation until death marked him for a victim, with the exception of a few months spent in the Confederate army during the latter years of the Civil War. After the war was over and having served his apprenticeship prior to that time under his father, Mr. COMBS located at Piedmont, W.Va, as a foreman of the Piedmont Independent, but resigned that position to accept a similar one with the Cumberland Daily News, at a time when Captain GRIFFITH was its editor. He later went to Oakland, where he managed the Oakland Democrat for a number of years, virtually doing all the work on that paper, getting out all the copy, and setting the type, his only help being a small boy. The Democrat having changed hands, Mr. COMBS came to this city and went to work setting type on this paper. The deceased was not only a good printer, but he was a clever writer, being a natural born newspaper man. Aside from his newspaper qualifications, he was genial and sociable, and well liked by his employers, colaborers and the people generally. But he has "set" his last "take", and his spirit has gone to the one who gave it. He is survived by the following children: William COMBS, of Ohio; Frank COMBS, Misses Blanche, Pearl and Dewetta COMBS, all of Ridgeley. The funeral arrangements have not yet been completed, but will probably take place Sunday afternoon. Mr. COMBS' wife died about thirteen years ago, and one of his daughters died last April. The following poetic effort is one of the last contributions on the part of the deceased, written at a time when things were not as smooth as they might have been: An Old Printer. Only a printer, old and gray; 'Tis true at times he goes astray. Led by the tempter, under his sway. With whom he has struggled for many a day. "To err is human, to forgive divine", Is a saying trite - not words of mine. In the gloom of this hour there's not a shine Of the Star of Hope for me or mine. Nothing to do but hope and wait, Looking alone to the hand of fate. Will the dawn ever come? At any rate We continue to hope and wait and wait. A moonlight night - but gloom within; A home made sad for not a sin Committed against kith or kin. And only one thought - it might have been. Out of work, with work to do. Strange it is, but alas! too true. Is it any wonder a man gets blue And puts himself in a terrible stew? But to bed I go with a heart not bad, Trusting the world is not so sad As to keep one out on the tag-and-rag Because, forsooth he got on a jag. And in conclusion, I want to say, Maybe ther's yet a brighter day For a printer old and feeble and gray. And this is all I want to say: "A man's a man for a' that". Funeral of Mister COMBS. The funeral of John S. COMBS took place Sunday afternoon at his late home in Carpenter Row, Ridgeley, Rev. B. W. KINDLEY officiating. A quartet sang Mr. COMBS' favorite hymn, "Nearer My God to Thee", also "Saved by Grace". The quartet was composed of Miss Daphne TWIGG, soprano; Miss Carrie PERRIN, alto; R. Mason HILL, bass; D. W. SNYDER, tenor. The pallbearers were all from his brother members of the Typographical Union, namely Messrs. Frank KANE, J. E. BRAMBLE, B. W. WALTERS, Chas. O. ROEMER, O. H. ALBURTIS and Joseph H. WILSON. Interment was made in Rose Hill Cemetary. ============== WIFE: Emma V. SEABER b. 1853 or 1854 prob Westernport, MD d. December 1896 Cumberland, MD Obituary of Mrs. Emma V. COMBS, Piedmont Herald, 11 December 1896 Mrs. Emma V. COMBS, wife of Mr. John S. COMBS, assistant foreman in the Times composing room died Sunday morning at her residence on Hanover Street, aged 42 years. The deceased was a good mother and a faithful wife. She leaves besides her husband, five children, two of whom are grown while one is an infant sixteen months and the other two are of tender years. She also leaves a father, Daniel P. SEABER of Westernport and the following brothers: John F. SEABER of Westernport and Charles W. SEABER, the foreman of the Times composing room, and one sister Mrs Laura LYBARGER, who resides on Center Street. The funeral took place Tuesday from Kingsley M.E. Church, Rev Wrightson officiating. -- Cumberland Times. ======= For more Combs Genealogy, visit Matt's site: http://members.aol.com/Mattccombs/index.html http://members.aol.com/Mattccombs/index.html