Zachariah Ellis Coombes

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Biographical Sketches

• Obituary, "Death of Judge Z.E. Coombes," 11/26/1895, p. 8. "The Dallas Bar: Resolutions of the Respect to the Memory of Judge Z.E. Coombes," 11/27/1895, p. 8. Dallas Morning News.
• Relatives: Zachariah Ellis Coombes (1883-1895; 19th Legislature), grandfather; Zachariah Ellis Coombes (1895-1958; 42nd-43rd Legislatures), grandson. "Another young man who bears a name distinguished in these parts is Zachariah Ellis Coombes, whose great-grandfather, William Coombes, settled on the west bank of the Trinity in 1843. In seeking election to the Legislature Mr. Coombes projects himself into the political scene because it is in that life that he desires to carve his career. He bears his grandfather's name. From this forebear, Captain of a Dallas company in the Civil War, lawyer, grand master and grand high priest in Texas Masonic circles, the young Coombes derives much." "Business Man Asks Election As Lawmaker: Three Lawyers Are Also Seeking Place No. 5 in State House," 7/7/1930, p. 16. Dallas Morning News.
• Biographical sketch, portrait, reprint of the memorial resolution of the Dallas Bar. "As acting Grand Master of the Masons, Judge Zachariah Ellis Coombes, Sr. laid the 12,000 pound cornerstone of the Texas State Capitol in Austin on 02 March 1885, the 49th anniversary of Texas independence." Find a Grave.
• COOMBES, ZACHARIAH ELLIS (1833-1895). Birth date 3/30/1833, death date 11/25/1895. Handbook of Texas Online.
• Blog post, "Dallas Pioneer & Mason Sets Cornerstone of Texas Capitol," 10/7/2018. "On March 2, 1885, the sitting Grand Master of Masons in Texas, Brother Benjamin Botts, was ill and called on Brother Z.E. Coombes to serve in his capacity by setting the cornerstone of the Texas State Capitol." Tannehill Masonic Lodge No. 52 A.F & A.M. (Masons of Dallas).

Military Service Notes

• Confederate States Army, 1st Lieutenant, TC, Colonel T.C. Hawpe's Regiment, enlistment date 5/16/1862 in Dallas County, age 29 years. Z. Ellis Combs, Texas, U.S., Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900. Ancestry.com.
• Confederate States Army, Captain, Company G, 31st Texas Cavalry. Military grave marker, Z. Ellis Coombes. Grand Master of Masons in Texas, Z.E. Coombes (1833-1895), burial in Western Heights Cemetery, Dallas, Dallas County. Find a Grave.

Other Resources

• Zachariah Ellis Coombes, Sr. Combs &c. Families of Dallas, TX.

Photographs

• Photograph. Z.E. Combes, 19th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

• 19th session composite photo of House members (House chamber vestibule, west wall. 2W.V1). State Preservation Board.

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