His death certificate records Jim Tom Wells, age 92 years 0 months 2 days, born 19 Feb 1847 in Kentucky, died 21 Feb 1940 in Morgan Co., Ky, widowed, farmer, father William Wells, mother’s maiden name Kallie Davis, both born in Kentucky, cause of death hypertensive heart disease, informant Mrs. Asa Gedsall, West Liberty, Ky, burial in Stacy Fork.

Since he was listed in the 1850 census as age 1, in the 1860 census as 10, and in the 1870 census as 21, he was probably really born in 1849, or 1848 at the earliest. Most likely there was an older child who died in infancy.