Rowan Co. birth records, on LDS microfilm #216839, list Jesse H. Cornett, b. April 9, 1856, son of Wesley Cornett & Seatty S. Morris, place of birth Dry Fork of Triplett.

His death certificate (Vol. 5, #02278) lists Jesse Cornett, d. 7 Nov 1931, in Crix, Rowan Co., Kentucky. Occupation, farmer. Married, surviving spouse, Nancie Jane Petitt. Jesse's place of birth is given as Rowan Co., his father as Wesley Cornett (b. Boyd Co.), and his mother as Ceattie Morris. Cause of death, "pyrelettic stroke". The "attending physician" is given as Emma Petitt (she is also the informant.) The undertaker is Jessie Petitt. Emma seems to have signed as an attending physician on quite a few death certificates, though she was of course not a doctor.

The spaces on the form for date of birth and age immediately follow the space for the name of the deceased's husband or wife, and they were mistakenly interpreted by the person who filled out the form as pertaining to the spouse rather than to the deceased, because they contain Nancie's birthdate and age. The form does, however, have a space for "length of residence in city or town where death occurred", which is given as 75 years, 7 mos, 28 days. Assuming that this is the same as Jesse's age (I don't think anyone would otherwise record a length of residence to that precision), it implies a birthdate of 10 March 1856. Emma may have made an error in calculation.

His will was recorded in Rowan Co. Will Book A, p. 197, on 6 June 1932. It is dated 6 May 1931. Jessie identifies himself as "of Christy, Ky". He leaves $1 each to his daughters listed as Martha Cornett Murdock of Morehead, Lillie Cornett Caudill of Morehead, Allie Cornett McKinney of Herndon, W.Va., Mollie Cornett Clark of Oak Hill, W.Va., and Addie Cornett Cox of Matoka, W.Va., and $1 to grandson Chester Shelton of Wharton, W.Va., with the remainder of the estate to be divided equally between his wife Nancy Jane Cornett and his three sons Charles Cornett of Van, W.Va., Hollie Cornett of Van, W.Va., and Teddy Cornett of Wharton, W.Va. Executrix to be wife Nancy Jane Cornett. Witnessed by Maggie James and Ida Adkins.

After Jesse's death, Nancy Jane married three more times, first to Rev. W. Jerry Fletcher, then to Granville Mays, and finally to Andrew Sparks, at age 90. She is pictured twice in the 1956 Centennial Edition of the Morehead News, identified as Nancy Jane Sparks, age 91, with husband Andrew Sparks, 81.

Her death certificate (Vol. 41, #20362) lists Nancy Sparks, d. 2 Sep 1959, age 94, in Rowan Co. Her marital status is given as married, but the form no longer has a space for name of spouse. Her birthdate is given as 14 Sept 1864, her father's name as Presley Petitt, mother Mary Riddle, informant Ted Cornette (son). Cause of death is hepatic hemorrhage. Burial in Williams Cemetery.

Rowan County Marriage Register, Book A, p. 65, records marriage of Jessie Cornett and Nancie J. Petit, 18 Nov 1880, at Prest Petit's, by Greenup Nickell, witnesses John A. Black, Wm Kegley

1900 census of Rowan Co., Ky, Hoggtown precinct, enumerated 25 June, lists on p. 17A as family #290/295:
Jesse H. Cornett, Apr 1856, age 44; Nancy J., 1865, age 35, married 19 years, mother of 8 children, 8 living; Lula, Aug 1884, age 16; Mollie, Feb 1886, age 14; Ceatty, Nov 1888, age 11; Allie, Feb 1892, age 8; Martha, Sept 1893, age 6; Dora, Jan 1895, age 5; Charley, Oct 1898, age 1; John Shelton (boarder), 23, b. 1877. All born Ky Ky Ky.

John and Lula were both listed as single, even though they had already married in Nov 1899, two months before this census was taken.

1910 census of Kanawha precinct, Fayette Co., West Virginia, enumerated 3 May, lists on p. 17A as household #335, families #348:
Cornett, Jesse, 54, laborer at odd jobs; Nancy J., wife, 44, married 30 years, mother of 9 children, 8 living; Martha, dau, 16; Charles, son, 11; Hollie, son, 9; Teddy, son, 6. All born Ky Ky Ky. In the same household as family #349 are Frank Purvis and his wife Addie, Jesse and Nancy’s daughter.

1920 census of Rowan Co., Ky, precinct #9 (Wagoner), lists as family #14/15:
Cornett, Jesse, 63; Nancy J., wife, 54; Charles, son, 21; Hollie, son, 18; Tedda, son, 15. All born in Ky.

1930 census of Rowan Co., Ky, Morehead precinct, enumerated 10 April, lists on p. 9B as family #50:
Cornett, Jesse H., 74, age at first marriage 25, farmer; Nancy, wife, 65, age at first marriage 16; Ted, son, 26, divorced, clay loader in mine; Shelton, Chester, grandson, 18, single. All born Ky Ky Ky.

Chester Shelton is the son of their daughter Lula and John Shelton.