52 Ancestors- John Anderson McCombs: A Lifetime of Building "Home" Across the Ozarks
Many people in my family tree embodied the pioneering spirit of 19th-century America, like my 3x great-grandfather, John Anderson McCombs. Born around 1846 in Tennessee, John's life would span multiple states, a civil war, and decades of change across the Ozark region. His father, John F. McCombs (married to Celia Townsend), established the family's Missouri homestead when young John was about 13 - land that would remain significant to my ancestor throughout his life.
Growing Up in the Ozarks
Young John grew up during a fascinating time in Newton County, Missouri. The 1850 census first places him in Jasper, Crawford County, Arkansas, but by 1860, the 13-year-old John was living with his family in Neosho, Newton County, Missouri.
Life in Newton County in 1859 centered on lead and zinc mining, with large-scale lead production driving the local economy since the 1840s. Neosho itself was a growing community with a hotel, saloon, and several stores serving a population of 300-500 people. The McCombs family was part of this frontier community where John’s father had secured land through early Missouri land grants.
I can imagine young John growing up in what was likely a log cabin or simple frame home, helping his father work the land while the nearby mining operations brought a steady stream of workers and commerce to the area. All of this unfolded against the backdrop of growing tensions that would soon erupt into the Civil War, with Neosho’s residents already dividing over issues of slavery and secession.
Service in a Divided Nation
As the Civil War engulfed the nation, John Anderson McCombs found himself serving in Company D of the 50th U.S. Colored Infantry. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of his story to me—these regiments primarily consisted of African American soldiers, many formerly enslaved, with white officers leading them. John likely served in a leadership capacity, participating in operations throughout Arkansas and the Mississippi Valley during 1864-1865.
His military service would have given him a perspective on freedom and national identity that many of his contemporaries lacked. It also likely expanded his horizons beyond the Ozark region, showing him both the brutality of war and the possibilities of a reunited nation.
Building a Life in Bentonville
After the war, John returned to the Ozarks and made a decision that would shape generations to come. He married Letitia Nichols on September 21, 1869, in Bentonville, Benton County, Arkansas. He was 20, she was 18, and together, they would raise at least nine children across three states.
In the late 1860s, Bentonville was still recovering from Civil War devastation. The town had been a Confederate staging ground near the Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862, and Union troops had burned most buildings—including the courthouse—leaving only about 12 houses standing by war’s end. When John and Letitia began their marriage there, they were part of a community rebuilding from ashes.
While today one can drive the 43 miles between Neosho and Bentonville in under an hour, in John's time, this would have been a full day’s journey by wagon or horseback. Yet, despite this distance, John maintained connections to both places throughout his life.
A Family on the Move
The McCombs family movement:
- By 1880, census records show John farming in Dickson, Benton County, Arkansas
- By 1900, he had relocated to Oklahoma Territory, working as a blacksmith
- In 1910 and 1920, he was back in Missouri, farming in White Rock, McDonald County
This wasn’t unusual for the time. While Newton County’s economy centered on lead mining and agriculture, Bentonville’s shifted from general trade to becoming an apple production powerhouse by 1901. John’s movements might reflect him following economic opportunities across this changing landscape.
Throughout these moves, John and Letitia welcomed their children: Martha Ellen (1870), William Franklin (1872), Thomas Marion (1873), Mary E. (1876), Edward S. (1877), Benjamin R. (1880), Charlie Louis (1884), Dollie (1887), and Francis (1892). This growing family created “home” wherever they planted their roots.
I’m particularly proud that my own direct line comes through John’s oldest daughter, Martha Ellen McCombs, who married Thomas Miller Hoard on October 9, 1890, in Bentonville, Benton, Arkansas. Her marriage in Bentonville shows how this place remained a center of family life for the McCombs and Hoard families even as they ventured to other areas.
The Pull of the Old Homestead
What speaks to me most about John’s connection to place is that although he died on April 7, 1921, in Bentonville, Arkansas, his body was taken back to Missouri for burial at Jane Cemetery in McDonald County - not far from his father’s original homestead. This final journey suggests the deep significance that the Missouri property held for him, a place worthy of becoming his eternal resting place, despite spending his final years in Arkansas.
I often wonder what memories drew him back. Perhaps it was the simplicity of childhood before the war changed everything. Maybe it was the land itself—the rolling Ozark hills, the familiar creeks and woods. Whatever called to him was powerful enough that even in death, he returned to the Missouri soil near where he had grown up.
A Legacy Across State Lines
John Anderson McCombs’ life reminds me that for many of our ancestors, state boundaries did not define “home”, but by family connections and meaningful places. His journey from Tennessee to Missouri to Arkansas and Oklahoma Territory, with his final rest near his childhood home, shows how complex and meaningful these connections could be.
As I trace my roots back to John, I’m struck by how his legacy spans the entire Ozark region. His children married locally, continuing the family’s presence in places like Bentonville, Arkansas, and McDonald County, Missouri. The McCombs family built not just one home, but a network of homes and connections that sustained them through decades of change.
My family tree is mostly made up of pioneers during this era of American history. It was hard to choose just one who homesteaded. In this way, John’s story embodies this week’s theme of “Home Sweet Home”—not as a single place but as a lifetime of creating belonging across a changing American landscape. And for that pioneering spirit, I remain deeply grateful.
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