His WWI draft registration card, filed 12 Sep 1918, records Willie Petitt, age 42, residence Salt Lick, Ky, born 7 Feb 1877, occupation farmer, self-employed, nearest relative Mrs. Mollie Petitt.

The Kentucky death index records Willie Petitt of Rowan Co. died 28 Mar 1964, age 86, in Bath Co., certificate Vol. 15, #07039.

Social Security Death index lists Willie Petitt, born 7 Feb 1878, died Mar 1864, SSN 404-50-3165 issued in Kentucky.

Joint stone in Polksville Cem. says "Petitt Mollie 1878-1958 Willie 1878-1964".

His obituary in the Rowan County News of Thu., April 9, 1964, reported: “Willie Pettit, 86, died Saturday in Owingsville. He was born Feb. 2, 1878, a son of the late Presley and Mary (Riddle) Petitt. His wife, the former Mollie Evans, preceded him in death. Surviving are 9 children: Millard, Salt Lick; Zora, Tampa, Fla.; Arthur, Washington Court House, Oh.; Mitchell, Richmond, Ind.; Mrs. Zanie Jennings, Clearfield; Mrs. Alma Collins, Middletown, Oh.; Mrs. Ethel Hall, South Point, Oh.; Mrs. Dessie Gabbard, Franklin, Oh.; and Mrs. Oda Razor, Hillsboro."

Her Death Certificate (from KY Vital Statistics Dept) records Mrs. Mollie Pettitt, died 31 Jan 1958 in Pokesville, Bath Co., age 79, date of birth 26 July 1878, married, father unknown, mother unknown, informant Mr. Willie Pettitt, cause of death congestive heart failure.

It seems unlikely that Willie would truly not have known the names of his own wife’s parents (unless he was getting senile); more likely the clerk taking the information down just didn’t ask.

The 1900 census, see notes for Preston Pettit, gives Mollie's birthdate as May 1880, but it seems to be wrong on a great many counts, so I will go by the death certificate.

However, the only young child named Mollie Evans (or variant spelling) I can find in the 1880 census of Kentucky (doing a statewide search on Ancestry.com) is Mollie Evans age 2 with parents William age 33 and Dillie age 18 in Ashland, Boyd Co. Migrations usually went from the Bath, Rowan, Elliott Co. area eastward to Boyd, not the other direction. So perhaps she really was born in July 1880 or later. If so, she would not appear in any census year with her parents. (Too bad the 1890 was destroyed.)

There were quite a few Evans families in Rowan, Bath, Morgan and Fleming counties, many of them children or grandchildren of John A. Evans and Elizabeth Myers, who had 9 sons. My best bet may be looking for obituaries of all the Evans who died in Rowan or Bath counties, seeing if any of them list a sister or daughter Mollie Petitt among the relatives.

Rowan Co. Marriage Book 3, p. 106, records marriage of Willie Pettitt, age 21, and Mollie Evins, age 19, on 15 Oct 1898, at Pres Pettit's, witnesses Abraham Crose & Mary Conn.

1900 census of Rowan County, Ky, includes the family of "Willis Petit", his wife Mollie and 1 year old son Wales living with the Preston Pettit family, q.v. This census lists Willis as born May 1878. Great Aunt Lila lists Willie as "borned February 7th, 1878"

I cannot find this family in the 1910 census, doing a nationwide search on Ancestry.com on nearly all the names in the family, and allowing for variant spellings. Either the surname was very badly misindexed (such as under a different initial), or they were just missed by the census.

1920 census of Bath Co., Ky, White Sulpher Springs district, Salt Lick precinct, enumerated 12 Jan, lists on p. 4A as family #66:
Pettit, William, farmer, 42; Mollie, wife, 40; Zonie, 18, dau; Alma, 16, dau; Mitchel, 14, son; Harlin, 13, son; Ethel, 11, dau; Zora, 9, son; Arthur, 6, son; Odessa, 4, dau; Ioda, 1, dau. All born Ky/Ky/Ky.

I cannot find this family in the 1930 census.