His death certificate (Vol. 15, #07312) records John L. Link, age 93 years 6 months 14 days, born 8 July 1836, died 20 Jan 1929 in Morgan Co., Ky, widowed, father Simon Link born in Pennsylvania, mother’s maiden name Mary Manhear born in Menifee Co., Ky, cause of death paralysis, informant Fannie Lewis, Blaze, Ky, burial in Lewis Cemetery.

His great-granddaughter Ethel (Brewer) Adkins said he lived to be 105, but apparently somewhere along the line his age got stretched.

1850 census lists John as age 14, with his parents Simon & Mary Link. He is also redundantly recorded in Bath Co. with his mother’s brother Thomas C. Mynhier as John Link, age 14.

1860 census of Morgan Co., Ky records as family #70:
John Lynk, 24; Rodah A., 29; Mary C., 4; James B., 3; Casea W., 1. All born in Ky.

1870 census of Rowan Co., KY, Pearce prec., dated 15 June, lists on p. 123, family #10:
Link, John, 37, farmer; Rhoda, 38; James, 12; Cassandra, 10; Robert, 9; Nancy, 8; Simeon, 5.
Also listed with the family is Andrew Brown, 26, farm laborer. All born in Kentucky.

1880 census of Morgan Co., Ky, district 87 (Blair’s Mill), p. 19 (handwritten), p. 539A (stamped/microfilm), lists as family #154:
Link, John, 40, farmer, Ky Pa Ky; Rhoda, wife, 40; James, 23, son; Cassorette, 21, dau; Robert, 20, son; Nancy, 19, dau; Peter, 16, son; Emma, 9, dau. All except John born Ky Ky Ky.

1900 census of Morgan Co., Ky, District 6, enumerated 5 June, lists on p. 4B as family #67/68:
John L. Link, 64, b. July 1835, Ky/Pa/Ky; wife Nancy, 17, b. Sept 1882, Ky/Ky/Ky, married 0 years, mother of 0 children; son David H., 12, July 1887, Ky/Ky/Ky; boarder Preston Petitt, 26, Nov 1873, Ky/Ky/Ky.

The number of years married column for John has what looks like either 5/12 or 6/12, or even possibly 3/12, overwritten with a large 0. The left side of the 0 cuts through the number of months, so the only part of it that is legible is the lower loop.

Preston Petitt is very likely to be the Preston Link age 8 listed in the 1880 census of Morgan Co as a boarder with the family of Bluford Elliott. He is probably an illegitimate son of John Link and Lizzie Petitt. (David Hopkins Pettit b. ca 1905 son of John Link’s son John Tom Pettit, may have been named after the above David H. Link, who would be his half uncle.)

1910 census of Morgan Co., Ky, District 7 (Panthers Branch), enumerated 27 April, lists on p. 8A as family #108/109:
John L. Link, 74, b. Ky/Pa/Ky, farmer, 5th marriage, married 10 years; wife Nancy J., 25, b. Ky/Ky/Ky, 1st marriage, married 10 years, mother of 0 children; son David H., 22, b. Ky/Ky/Ky, married 1 year; dau-in-law Martha J., 15, b. Ky/Ky/Ky, married 0 years.

Note that the age for Nancy is two years younger than that implied by the 1900 census.

1920 census of Panther’s Branch, Morgan Co., Ky, enumerated 7 Jan, lists on p. 4A as household #63:
Link, John L., 84, Ky Pa Pa; Nancy, wife, 35, Ky Ky Ky.

The following household is that of Nancy’s parents, and the one after that is her sister Louisa with her husband Willie Johnson.

Death Certificate (from KY Vital Statistics Dept) for Elizabeth Petit d. Nov 18, 1927, in West Liberty, Morgan Co., date of birth unknown, age "she is susposed to be about 90 yrs old", birthplace "unknown she came here to this county when she was young"; states that she was "an inmate of poor house for quite a while, she has been feeble minded most all of her life", single, father unknown, mother unknown, informant Ed Elam of West Liberty, cause of death "hemorhage of lungs", burial Neal Graveyard, West Liberty.

Lizzie is with her parents in the 1860 census, listed as Elizabeth age 20.

I have not found her in 1870 or 1880. She was apparently still living in Morgan Co., as the births of several children were recorded there in the 1870’s.

She is probably the Lizzie Pettit listed as age 53, mother with James L. Pettit in the 1900 census, but if so, she is mislabelled as being a “widow”.

In 1910 she was with her son John Tom Pettit, listed as Lizzie age 65 (she was really about 70.)

In 1920 she was listed as Elizabeth Pettit, age 75, grandmother, with her granddaughter Mollie, daughter of James.

The only child in this “family group” who is proven to be a son of John Link and Lizzie Pettit is John Tom Pettit, from his death certificate as well as family tradition. James L. Pettit and John Tom Pettit were referred to as brothers by each other’s descendants as well as by descendants of Mary Jane Pettit, so they are known to be children of Lizzie Pettit, but James might have a different father than John Link, as does Mary Jane.

Preston Pettit is listed here because he was living with John Link in the 1900 census, at age 26, and because he is listed as Preston Link in the 1880 census of Morgan Co., living with Lizzie’s nephew Bluford Elliott. Samuel Pettit is listed here because his descendants referred to a brother named Preston. Also, Lizzie’s father was named Samuel and she had a brother named Preston. It might be, however, that Samuel is a child of Lizzie’s by another man, and thus only a half-brother of John Tom and Preston.