His death certificate states Tom Newt Cottle, age 90, born 28 June 1858 in Morgan Co., Ky, died 24 Dec 1948 in Gordon Ford, Morgan Co., Ky, farmer, married, husband of Elizabeth Burkhart, age 80, father U. R. Cottle, born in Ky, mother’s maiden name Martha Nickell, born in Wolf Co., Ky, cause of death “started across the hill to a sister in law and was found frozen to death in a small path leading across the hill. There seemed to be no evidence of foul play”, informant John Cottle, Paintsville, Ky.

Since he did not appear in the 1860 census, taken on 26 June, and his age in the 1870 census was given as 10, he was probably really born in 1860.