This Matthias may be no relationship to my Matthew Pettit, but I want to keep track of his family due to the similarity of names and birthplace. Also note that in 1850 the family of Andrew Pettit (my Matthew’s son) had living with them a Cyntha A. Bright age 27 b. Indiana.

1840 census of Henry Co., Indiana, lists on p. 120 the family:
Matthias Pettitt, males 1 50-60, females 1 5-9, 1 30-39.

1850 census of Henry Co., Indiana, lists:
Matthias Petitt, 57, farmer, b. Penn; Ann, 37, b. N.C.; John Taylor, 8, Ind; Katherine, 5, b. Ind; Matthias W. Petitt, 2; Lucinda, 19, b. Ind.

This is probably a second marriage for both Matthias and Ann, with Lucinda being the female age 5-9 in 1840, and the two Taylor children being Ann’s from her first marriage. Matthias may be older than 57, if his age bracket in the 1840 census is correct, but it might be the 1840 one which is in error.

I cannot find this family in 1860. Perhaps both Matthias Sr. & Jr. had died, and Ann remarried.

Her birth date is estimated by taking the middle of the 30-39 age range from the 1840 census. She most likely died shortly after 1840, since there is no evidence of any children being born to this marriage in the 1840’s.