Bert Combs was born in the Town Branch section of Manchester, Kentucky, on August 13, 1911; he was one of seven children of Stephen Gibson and Martha (Jones) Combs.[2] Combs' father Stephen, a part-time logger and farmer, was active in local politics, despite being a Democrat in a county where a large majority of residents were Republicans.[2] His mother was a teacher, and she impressed upon her children the importance of a good education.[2] Bert's first school was the two-room Beech Creek grade school.[2] When he reached the seventh grade, his parents sent him and his sister to Oneida Baptist Institute in nearby Oneida, Kentucky because its school term was 8 to 9 months long, as opposed to the 5- to 6-month terms at Beech Creek.[3] Later, Combs and his sister began riding a donkey every day to Clay County High School.[2] Combs excelled academically and skipped some grades, graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1927 at age 15.[4]