To "e" or not to "e"

In 1924, Bethuel Newcomb wrote, "The Newcombs residing in Canada generally use the final e, while nearly all residing in the United States omit it." His predecessor, John Bearse Newcomb, had omitted that final e from nearly all the Newcombs he documented, whether or not they used it themselves. Many U.S. Newcomb(e)s continued, and still continue to use the final e, despite BMN's somewhat wishful writing. As a result, researching and identifying Newcomb(e)s includes the spelling challenge.