In a message dated 8/13/02 11:40:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > I have a orbit from the New Bedford Mercury of 2/ 1822 but little info > other than Name and Date of death. Was a certificate of death to be > filed with the town clerk mandatory in that time frame? Thanks! > Not necessarily. I have encountered many instances where a death was reported in the Mercury, yet not recorded in the twon clerk's office. Thus, the obituary is the only reocrd of date of death. However.... Please keep in mind when recording the death date that many newspapers of that era were weekly, rather than daily. Therefore, the safest approach would be to say that "John Doe died prior to (insert date), per (reference), on the grounds thta family members may have been late in reporting the date of death to the newspaper. It is possible that your ancestor did not necessarily die between issues. Regards, Rick Turner "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."---The Declaration of Independence "I love the word 'friends'. It means so much, for we are, and should be, friends for the glory of God and the salvation of the world."---Alice C. Winslow (1856-1927), 1913