Family Authors
In June 2026 as I attended my Combs family reunion it was at our SAturday traditional meal I was astonished to learn that my Uncle Gordon had written a book. Not only that I learned for the first time his first name was Jacob Gordon, I honestly don’t think I knew that. I was so excited when my cousin Mark who had picked up the only copy they had at reunion said I could keep it. I of course rushed to read it.
Uncle Gordon titled his book - A Touch Of Royalty. I was ecstatic to learn more of our heritage and how we came from England, some of our distant ancestors being knighted while others seemed to me more from the “lawless breed.” That made me chuckle.
Uncle Gordon wrote on August 5, 1980, “Time has overhauled me and my printer says I must stop in order to get this to you before the reunion. I shall endeavor to , by the 1981 date have this copy complete and in better order. Please don’t feel that you have been left out on purpose it was just a matter of time.”
Pioneer Publicstions & Printing Inc. Jackson, Kentucky printed the book for Uncle Gordon. Pioneer Publications and Printing, Inc. operated in Jackson, Kentucky in 1981 as the commercial printing and publishing company responsible for producing Breathitt County's primary local newspaper and no longer exists.
Grandma Georgia Combs (sister of Gordon) titled her book - Precious Memories she dedicated her book in honor of the family of Nathan and Evie Combs of Clayhole, KY. At the reunion on August 7, 1982 at Buckhorn Lodge in Buckhorn, Kentucky. I believe it was typed and went to press at Mount Pisgah Church Printing Press in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. I believe I also help put the pages together as a child.
I had let it slip my mind what an elegant writer and how she could seem to pull poems out of thin air. She wrote:
Precious memories, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul,
In the stillness of the midnight,
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
Precious father, loving mother,
Fly across the lonely years;
And old home scenes of my childhood,
In fond memories appears.
Grandma fills the pages with stories of her childhood, poems she has written, songs her family loved, and scripture that meant a lot to her. I love how she left her address asking people to write to her and let her know what they thought of the book. I shed tears because it truly is precious memories of a time that has passed.
Uncle Harold Paul (brother of Georgia & Gordon) titled his book - To God Be The Glory, My Life Story. In his forward he wrote, “Among the most important things a person can do is to record his memories and other data concerning his life and relatives.” I believe he paid to have it put in book form as their is no publishing company listed in his book.
Uncle Harold Paul‘s book is filled with stories of each of his sibblings and his life after marriage. His book is filled with pictures and dates that may have Kong been forgotten if he hadn’t recorded them. His words and sweetness always rang true and I am so thankful I have a copy of this book.
Paul David Combs (son of Harold Paul Combs) titled his book - A Time For Every Season. Paul writes this book as historical fiction based around the life of our Great Grandpa ‘Rebel’ Shade Combs. Paul David wrote, “I have constructed a story which is meant to uphold the accuracy and authenticity of the proceedings before, during, and after the Civil War in Eastern Kentucky. I truly hope that this book captures the essence of my ancestors who experienced the dark, four-year nightmare of a “house being divided.”
Paul David’s book just became available in June 2026 through Palmetto Publishing, and I picked up my copy at reunion and look forward to reading it. It truly is a gift to take all the stories that have been passed down through generations and put it into words and have it published.
Rebecca Ruth (aka me - Becca Moore - granddaughter of Georgia Combs) titled her book Angel On A Bridge. A memoir, published by Fayetteville Marcia/Tucker DS Press. Looking back over these books and titles written by my family I really do feel humbled and honored to lay my book on the bookshelf beside them. We all have a story to tell and you never know who it will inspire. Whether it is to put their own words into a book or to speak it. I am glad for those who wrote before me and left me a legacy to follow. We truly are a family of authors.
So I hope you pick up one of these books and read it. Or write your own one day. Let’s roll.