There were death records for Nashville beginning in 1871. They don't give much information until after 1900, just a line in a ledger book with name, date of death, place of residence, place of burial, sex, race and age, and attending doctor. No parents or spouse names. If a person lived in the county but died in the city in a hospital he might have a certificate filed. Not all doctors took the time to file the death record. Metro Archives staff will check the death index at no charge for a specific person. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~nashvillearchives/researchpolicy.html You may want to check the obits online from the THE NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE: http://www.tngenweb.org/records/davidson/ --- Helen Pate Ross <[email protected]> wrote: > Thomas William Pate die Apr 27 1897 in Davidson Co. Metro Archives - Nashville and Davidson County, TN: www.metroarchivesfriends.com