Bob, No requirement to register BMDs until 1853 in Rhode Island. If a person had a will recorded there were most often will date and will proven dates in the town probate records. If a person died intestate, sometimes the date of death was noted in Town Council Notes in the form "...having been informed of the death of x on (date) last, and having owned property in this town, y was given a letter of administration..." Alden G Beaman, in his RI Genealogical Register, abstracted all the wills in RI up to about 1850 - No will for Theo. Austin, in his Genealogical Dictionary of RI p221 says: "He moved in the latter part of his life to the house of his son-in-law Joseph HOPKINS, situated in what is now West Greenwich [would have been East Greenwich then -WJ] He was buried with military honors on Hopkins Hill. He left a will, as Francis Willett mentioned to Dr Stiles that he wrote one for him." Further comments: 1. Hopkins Hill Road is about 4 miles due East of Exit 5 on Rte 95. 2. Beaman only abstracted wills, not Letters of Admin, etc. 3. It is barely possible that some record may be in the North Kingstown records. It was Kingstown until 1723 when split up into North & South. Town Hall is now in Wickford. The records were damaged to varying degrees in the fire of 1869. [anecdote - I was told that the records were kept on the 2d floor above the bank in 1869, and caught in the fire that was set to cover the gettaway of some cursed bank robbers]. Most of the records are still readable but left hand side of left pages and right hand side of right pages have been charred away. Leaves us with the maddening predicament of seeing names of persons but no dates on the left page, and dates but no names on the right page!! I left RI before I knew of my connection so I have not personally looked at records for WHALEY data. Not real likely since I'm sure others have looked and Theo had removed a little north to his son-in-laws, but quien sabe? Wayne Millersville MD now RI 350 years previous <grin> ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Whaley <[email protected]> Subject: THEOPHILUS WHALEY OF RHODE ISLAND > Is there an official or semi-official or even forged "Certificate of > Death" in existence for Theo published or on record anywhere?