On 2/19/04 (5:20:28 PM MST), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Karen Thaler (mymei44@hotmail.com) asked, "I am looking for information about the White Cannon Hotel in East Rockaway, NY. I believe my g-grandfather, Charles Wright and his wife Sarah Carman might have owned it in 1870. Any information about the Hotel or the Wright family appreciate." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the East Rockaway Public Library: East Rockaway Public Library 477 Atlantic Avenue East Rockaway, NY 11518 Tel: 516/599-1664 Fax: 516/596-0154 eMail: eastrockpl@yahoo.com http://www.nassaulibrary.org/eastrock/ The pertinent geography: The Village of East Rockaway (incorporated in 1910) is in the southern part of the Town of Hempstead, in the southwestern part of Nassau County. There are 36 hamlets (unincorporated areas) and 22 villages 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 the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Village of East Rockaway in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Village of Lynbrook; on the east by the Village of Rockville Centre and the Hamlet of Oceanside; on the south by the Hamlet of Bay Park and the Village of Hewlett Harbor; and, on the west by the Village of Hewlett Harbor and the Hamlet of Hewlett. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of East Rockaway has a different border than does the "East Rockaway, NY 11518" postal zone (i.e., a place can have an East Rockaway mailing address and not be in East Rockaway). ..................................................acres .....Village of East Rockaway..........667 .....East Rockaway, NY 11518........752 There are places in East Rockaway with other than an "East Rockaway, NY" mailing address and places with an "East Rockaway" mailing address that are not in East Rockaway. 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 Suffolk County Cooperative Library web site (eMail me directly if you need instructions on how to access and download the report), you'll find the Village of East Rockaway (incorporated in 1910) 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.