On 2/8/04 (4:48:59 PM MST), in a posting to NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com, Pat RYF (Yesteyears@aol.com) asked, "I am new to list. My Grandfather, Ludwig (Louie ) RYF,born !878 in Bern, Switzerland came to America in 1889 with his parents Kaspar and Marie Pfister RYF and 8 other children. We think they went to Foster Meadows to Kaspar's married sister's farm. She was Elisabeth RYF GEISER, wife of Johann Geiser. The GEISERS came from Switzerland around 1868. Within a few years after arriving there, The father Kaspar died in 1895, the son Fred drowned in 1893 and son, Frank died 1892, in accident falling off train he worked on. They are burried at the Presbyterian Church on Elmont Rd. in an unmarked grave in the Geiser plot. I find it impossible to reach someone at the church, to see where they are burried and hopefully put a stone there. Phone calls to no avail. I am hoping to find someone that might remember them or the Geisers. They were lifelong residents of LI. They even helped organize the FranklinSq /Munson Fire Department." Once called Foster's Meadow, Elmont is Belmont (Belmont Race Track) without the "B". For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Elmont Public Library: Elmont Public Library 1735 Hempstead Turnpike Elmont, NY 11003-1896 Tel: 516/354-5280 Fax: 516/354-3276 eMail: jschoen@epl.lib.ny.us http://www.nassaulibrary.org/elmont/ The pertinent geography: Elmont is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northwestern part of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, along the Nassau/Queens County line. There are 36 hamlets and 22 villages (incorporated municipalities) 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 Hamlet of Elmont in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Bellerose Terrace, the Village of Floral Park, the Village of South Floral Park and the Village of Stewart Manor; on the east by the Hamlet of Franklin Square; on the south by the Hamlet of North Valley Stream; and, on the west by New York City (the Nassau/Queens County line). And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of Elmont has a different border than does the "Elmont, NY 11003" postal zone (i.e., a place can have an Elmont mailing address and not be in Elmont and a place can be in Elmont and have other than an Elmont mailing address). ........................................acres ......Hamlet of Elmont.........2,357 ......Elmont, NY 11003........2,791 Thus, a bit more than about 1 in 7 places that have an Elmont mailing address are not in the Hamlet of Elmont (these places are in the Hamlet of Franklin Square). At the same time, there are places in Elmont with other than an Elmont, NY mailing address (these places have a Valley Stream, NY 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 Hamlet of Elmont 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. 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.