George may really be a child of Samuel's first wife Susan Coons, if he was born in 1829 (perhaps Susan died in childbirth.) If he was born in 1830, he would be a child of Nancy's. Pending more definite birthdate information, I am listing him as a son of the second marriage, because he was certainly raised by Nancy.

In the 1850 census, she is recorded in district 1, Montgomery Co., Ky, as a student, Frances Yates, age 15, at a boarding school or orphanage ran by Hugh B. Todd, age 37, and his wife Eliza, age 36. Todd’s occupation is given as teacher. The household includes four Todd children, 29 other children of various surnames and mixed genders with ages ranging from 7 to 18 listed as students, and four adult boarders one of whom is also listed as a teacher. Besides Frances, the students also include Amanda Yates age 16 and Susan Yates age 13.

Since boarding schools in that time period were seldom mixed gender, it is most likely an orphanage, although it is not so labeled.

Page 3 of the Montgomery Co., Ky, marriage report to the state auditor for the early 1850’s records on the last line on page 3 the marriage on Jan 10th of Geo. W. Pettit, residence Illinois, single, age 24, to Frances Yeats, single, age 19, her residence and both of their birthplaces entered as “Mount Gom”, which is apparently how that clerk records Montgomery Co.

There is no year recorded for any of the marriages on the entire page. Page 1 has 1852 on the first marriage, and the rest are day and month only. Page 2 has 1853 on the first marriage, and the rest are day and month only. Page 4 has no years on any of the marriages, either, but the page is signed and dated at the bottom “I E. E. Garret Clerk of the Montgomery County court hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the list of marriages returned to my office by Geroge P. Jones Assessor of this county on the first day of May 1856. Given under my hand this 22nd day of May 1856.”

This record has been entered in various indexes as 1853 (presumably by carrying over the year from the last one entered, at the top of page 2), as 1854 (presumably by assuming that the marriages for each year were entered on separate pages), and as 1855, presumably by dating backwards from the end of the register.

Page 2 of the same report also records on line 15 the marriage on 10 Jan of George W. Pettit, residence Illinois, single, age 25, born Montgomery Co. Ky, to Sarah F. Yeates, single, age 19, residence and birthplace Montgomery Co., Ky. The implied date would be 1853, but the ages are more consistent with 1855, although that would not be consistent with the birthdate of their daughter Mary Susan. So I am concluding that 1854 is most likely.

Since they married in 1854 (plus or minus 1), and George died before 1860, they will not appear in any censuses together.