On 2/20/04 (7:10:47 AM MST), in a posting to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Valerie (rbuko1630@yahoo.com) asked, "My Dad used to deliver mail ( about 1955) to a Mammy Shaw who lived on Ocean Avenue near Allen Street in Lynbrook. Dad said she was about 100 yrs old then. Does anyone have any knowledge of her. She might haave been a former slave, the dates work out if she was 100 yrs old." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Lynbrook Public (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information) and/or the Lynbrook Historical & Preservation Society: Lynbrook Public Library 56 Eldert Street Lynbrook, NY 11563 Tel: 516/599-8630 Fax: 516/596-1312 eMail: lynbrook2@nassaulibrary.org http://www.nassaulibrary.org/lynbrook/ The Lynbrook Historical & Preservation Society 28 Hart Street Lynbrook, NY 11563-1711 Tel: 516/???-???? Fax: 516/???-???? eMail: lynhistory@aol.com http://members.aol.com/lynhistory/lhps/lynindex.htm The pertinent geography: Lynbrook -- or Brooklyn spelled inside-out -- is a village (incorporated in 1911) in the central part of the Town of Hempstead, in the southwestern part of Nassau County. There are 22 villages and 36 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly within the Town of Hempstead. There are 2 cities and 3 towns in Nassau County. (I'm including after my name a NYS Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, hamlet and postal zone.) Beginning on its northern border and proceeding clockwise, the Village of Lynbrook is bordered on the north by the Village of Malverne and the Hamlet of North Lynbrook; on the east by the Hamlet of Lakeview and the Village of Rockville Centre; on the south by the Village of East Rockaway and the Hamlet of Hewlett; and, on the west by the Village of Valley Stream. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of Lynbrook has a different border than does the "Lynbrook, NY 11563" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Lynbrook mailing address and not be in Lynbrook and a place can be in Lynbrook and have other than a Lynbrook mailing address). .....................................acres ...Village of Lynbrook.......1,290 ...Lynbrook, NY 11563.....1,549 Thus, about one of every 7 places that have a Lynbrook mailing address are not in the Village of Lynbrook. (Most of these places that have a Lynbrook mailing address but are not in the Village of Lynbrook are in the Hamlet of North Lynbrook and the Hamlet of Hewlett. Meanwhile there are places in the Village of Lynbrook that have a Rockville Centre mailing address.) For those who have their copy of the 2002 or earlier edition of the LI Population Survey or have already downloaded the report from the Long Island Power Authority web site (eMail me directly if you need instructions on how to access and download the report), you'll find the Village of Lynbrook (incorporated in 1911) in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County on pages 5 & 8 (map) and 9 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Regards, Walter Greenspan . Cities, Towns, Villages, Hamlets and Postal Zones in New York State New York State is divided into counties. County A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to perform state functions; a "regional" government. All counties are divided into cities, towns and Indian reservations. City A city is a unique governmental entity with its own special charter. Cities are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Town A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the state except that within cities or Indian reservations. Towns can be sub-divided into villages and hamlets. Village A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with municipal services. The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a city. A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Hamlet A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed at-large by the town(s) it is in. A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Postal Zone "City" and "Town" A postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Postal zone "City" and "Town" may not (but are encouraged to) conform to municipal or community borders. Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet location. Please be aware: In many areas of New York State, the problem of non-conforming postal zones leads to a situation where the majority of places have a different community name in their mailing address than the community where that place is actually located.