Jonah Combs was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1794. He came to Menard County in 1826 and settled on land just south of the church, buying Amor Batterton�s claim and adding to this a number of acres of land secured from the government.

He was married twice. Of his eight children, five remained in the community: Hampton, a Civil War soldier, William, Amos, Susan, who married James Armstrong, and Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob S. Hodgen.

One of the sons of Elizabeth, Oscar, was a Civil War soldier; another, Henry, was a farmer in the community a number of years.

The youngest son of Jonah Combs, Amos, married Virginia Primm and lived on the home place. He was a prosperous farmer and a man of influence.

Source: The Book Committee. Rock Creek Presbyterian Church Christian Heritage 175 years, Menard Co. IL. 1997. This includes a reprint of ROCK CREEK, A Retrospect of One Hundred Years, by Alice Keach Bone, written ca 1922. Page 76.