On 2/12/04 (9:49:16 AM MST), in a posting to NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com, Lilly Murphy (LMlakewood@aol.com) posted, "Just wanted to let folks know that I contacted The Parish of St. Patrick in Bayshore to inquire about birth, marriage and death records for several family members in the 1880's and 1890's and received a reply about 2 weeks later with marriage, birth and baptism dates as well as sponsors and witnesses names. This was the ONLY Catholic church in the area at that time. The address to write to is: Mary Feeney Parish Receptionist The Parish of St. Patrick 9 North Clinton Avenue Bay Shore, NY 11706" Mazel tov* and thanks for sharing. *Mazel Tov (MAH-zl TAWV) Yiddish/Hebrew. Literally, good luck. This is the traditional way of expressing congratulations. "Mazel tov!" is the correct and traditional response upon hearing that a person has gotten engaged or married, has had a child, or has become a bar mitzvah. It can be used to congratulate someone for getting a new job, graduating from college, or any other happy event. Note that this term is not used in the way that the expression "good luck" is used in English; that is, it should not be used to wish someone luck in the future. Rather, it is an expression of pleasure at the good luck someone has already had. The pertinent geography: Bay Shore is a hamlet (unincorporated area) in the southwestern section of the Town of Islip, Suffolk County. There are 4 villages (incorporated municipalities) and 23 hamlets all or partly in the Town of Islip. There are no cities and 10 towns in Suffolk County. There are 2 Indian reservations in Suffolk 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 Hamlet of Bay Shore in the Town of Islip is bordered on the north by Hamlets of Baywood and North Bay Shore; on the east by the Hamlet of Islip; on the south by the Great South Bay; and, on the west by the Village of Brightwaters. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Bay Shore has a different border than does the "Bay Shore, NY 11706" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Bay Shore mailing address and not be in Bay Shore). Those places that have a "Bay Shore, NY" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Bay Shore are in the Hamlet of North Bay Shore, the Hamlet of West Bay Shore, the Hamlet of Baywood, the Hamlet of Islip, the Village of Saltaire and in the Hamlet of Fire Island. 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 Bay Shore in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County on pages 14 & 20 (map) and 21 (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.