Census Shows ‘Oldest Man’ Wasn’t 114, but 92

In the week since William Coates’ death, his family has been arranging a funeral befitting a man purported to have lived for 114 years, which, if true, would have ranked him among the oldest people in the U.S.

But U.S. census records indicate that Coates, who had been celebrated for his age in news stories and public proclamations, was no older than 92 when he died Feb. 24.

A researcher for the Gerontology Research Group, a nonprofit organization, found an old census register on the Internet that lists Coates, his seven siblings and their parents as living together in Prince George’s County in 1930. The census-taker noted that William Coates was the oldest sibling, at age 18.