From the book, In the Land of Breathitt
After the entry of the Nobles and Neaces, the next settlement in the region that later became Breathitt County was made at the mouth of Troublesome Creek, in 1792. Samuel Haddix, the progenitor of all the Haddixes in the county, came from Clinch River, Virginia, during that year. His grandson, also named Samuel, in a letter to the Jackson Hustler in 1893 called this the "first settlement in Breathitt County," perhaps meaning the first settlement of the Haddixes. He wrote that there was not a foot of land cleared in the county at that time. The principal and most often the only food for a year was venison, since there was nothing of which to make bread nearer than Clinch River. In this party there was a trapper named Alex McQuinn, and a shoemaker by the name of Herman Hurst.
One of the oldest American families now residing in Breathitt was established in this section of the mountains by Harrison Combs, a descendant of one of the ten Combs brothers who came over from Scotland very early in Colonial history, most of them settling in Virginia. In 1795 Harrison Combs left Russell County, Virginia, with his ten-year-old son, Matthew. After "spying out" much of the land and hunting at the same time he finally settled in what was known as the "Big Bottom," about a half mile above the present site of Hazard. This was the first settlement along the North Fork of the Kentucky River in this section of Perry County.
Here Harrison Combs and his young son built a shanty to sleep in, cleared two acres of ground, and caught a young bear which they kept with them at their shanty. The young bear became Matthew's pet and stayed with them until it was large enough to eat. They had brought along with them corn and peach seeds, a rifle, and a supply of ammunition, an ax, a weeding hoe, an iron wedge, and a frow. As soon as they had planted some corn and had built their shanty, they returned to Virginia for the rest of the family. On the trip back they packed their household goods on two horses. The family walked and drove two cows.
The peach seed, planted in the "Big Bottom" around 1795, grew into such prolific fruit-bearing trees that their disposal became a problem. Harrison Combs, therefore, sent two of his sons, Matthew and Henry, to Washington County, Virginia, for a still. They hauled it to the foot of Black Mountain. There they took hickory withes and a sizable pole and carried it across the mountains to their home where it began a long and honorable career in the service of peach brandy. This still remained in the Combs family for many years.
Harrison Combs finally sold his homestead to his son, Matthew, and bought a farm on Troublesome Creek in the present territory of Breathitt County. The Troublesome Creek homestead was also sold to Matthew in 1828. Some time after Harrison Combs' first wife died, just about the time he sold out, he married a young woman and moved to the state of Indiana. He left behind him five boys: Matthew, Henry, Hugh, George, and Steve. The Troublesome Creek farm of Harrison Combs is still in the Combs family.
One of Matthew Combs' sons, Henry, figures prominently in the history of Breathitt County. His numerous children, some of whom gained a degree of prominence, and his many diversified activities make his name memorable. He became one of the most prosperous and farsighted farmers in this region, taking up a large section of virgin land on Troublesome Creek, comprising about 2,000 acres with about 25,000,000 feet of timber on it. He cleared much of this land and raised fine crops. By 1870 Henry Combs had planted on his farm 1,000 apple trees and ten acres of peaches, together with two acres of nursery stock for grafting purposes. He grew his cotton, ginned it, and the women on the place spun and wove it into clothing for the family. He made his own brick from clay on his farm, and he claimed to have made the first fireplace in this section of Breathitt County. He tanned leather and made shoes for all of his family, shaped on lasts made by himself. When any of his neighbors brought their own leather he made their shoes without charge, but usually they did some favor in return. Henry Combs had the reputation of making one shoe every night following his day's work on the farm. Henry Combs also erected a schoolhouse on his place and hired a teacher. It was here that his children received their early education.
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