The Whitewright Sun
The Grayson County Weekly Advisor
Sunday, June 11, 1911
pg. 1

DID YOU KNOW?
by Mr. Rea Nunnallee

Rev. McComb was born in Roan Co., Tennessee, November 5, 1820.  His father moved to Morgan Co., Illinois when Thomas Benton was a child..  He was mainly reared in that state and county.  Later his family moved to Missouri, and on May 6, 1846, he married Mary Elizabeth Jackson, a distant relative of President Andrew Jackson.  In 1848 Mr. McComb was ordained as a minister in the Missionary Baptist Church.
In 1853 he moved to Texas.  In January of the following year he settled on the place where he lived in Grayson County, three and one-half miles northwest of Van Alstyne and near the adjoining village of Elmont.  He devoted his life to farming and his church work.
He....was among the first ministers of any denomination to carry the Gospel into these frontier counties of the state.  For 27 years he was pastor of the Baptist Church at Weston, Collin County, and was in charge of the Farmington, Grayson County Church for 28 years. At all times he had charge of at least four churches.  For many years he rode horseback as a Missionary in his district and during that time along with Rev. David Elcott organzies many Baptist Churches.
The New Home Church, later renamed Elmont Baptist Church, was organized in 1869 by Rev. McComb and Rev. Eliott.  Other churches organized were:  Pilgrim's Rest, May 21, 1891 and later renamed Burk Church.  This church was disbanded some years back.
The First Baptist Church of Sherman was organized in 1869.  This church organization took place under the trees on the northwest corner of the Court House Square.  Rev. McComb was assisted in the organization by Rev. J.R. Mason.  The first pastor, Rev. L.R. Scruggs, built the first church building in 1874 on the corner of Crockett and Pecan streets in Sherman.
Rev. McComb helped in the orgnization of the First Baptist Church of Dallas.  At all times he took an active part in those instituted by the Baptist denomination.  He served as trustee of Waco University, now known as Baylor University.  He raised $4,000 by his own efforts for the endowment of the university and he gave $100 per year from his own resources to the general association.  At another time the association became indebted to him for the sum of $750 for his services, which amount he generously donated back to the organization.
He organized a high school at Elmont and took the initiative informing a public library for the village.
He died July 26, 1913 and is burried in the Van Alstyne Cemetery.  He was 93 years old at the time of his death.
On October 19, 1969 when the Elmont Baptist Church observed its 100th anniversary, his living grandchildren were: Mrs. Sueletta Clayton and Mrs. Ruth James of Van Alstyne; Mrs. Sallie Pierce of Sherman; Mrs. Lorena Rutledge of San Antonio; Earl McComb of Seattle, Washington; Grayd McComb of Seminole, Oklahoma; and Sid McComb of Madena, Texas.  He also has several great-grandchildren.
Rea reports that this information was originally written by Mrs. Lorena Rutledge of San Antonio and was furnished by Miss Mataline Mount of Van Alstyne, and checked with Mrs. Sueletta Clayton and Mrs. Ruth James of Van Alstyne.