On 2/6/04 (2:37:50 PM MST), in a private eMail, Muffy (Unger BMCM@AOL.com) asked, "I am most interested in finding the residence of the family name HECK. George Callendine Heck died in Brookville March 25, 1959. We would like to come back and see if his house is still in existence along with finding his grave plot. I was told he lived in Oyster Bay or Glen Cove and had two homes but his obit says he died in Brookville. He had a 100 foot boat that travel over to New York to his work. I know on the 1930 census he is living in Manhattqn with 5 servants and his next door neighbor is Barclay Ulman. Have you heard of these names? Any direction to take?" First, you may be able to see his house via the 'Net because Nassau County has recently re-assessed all the property in the county and has made this information available at a special web site: http://www.mynassauproperty.com If you know the address, you can find information about a particular property -- including a current picture -- at this web site. Second, to solve your confusion about location: Brookville is a village in the Town of Oyster Bay Brookville is one of those many communities on Long Island where none of the places in Brookville have a "Brookville, NY" mailing address. The pertinent geography: Brookville is a village (incorporated in 1931) in the central part of the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, along the Oyster Bay/North Hempstead town line. There are 18 villages and 18 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly within the Town of Oyster Bay. 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 Brookville in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by the Village of Old Brookville, the Village of Upper Brookville and the Village of Muttontown; on the east by the Village of Muttontown; on the south by the Hamlet of Jericho and the Village of Old Westbury; and, on the west by the Village of Old Westbury and the Village of East Hills in the Town of North Hempstead (the Oyster Bay/North Hempstead town line). And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of Brookville has a different border than does the "Brookville, NY" postal zone, and in this case there is no "Brookville, NY" postal zone. ...........................................acres ......Village of Brookville.........2,687 ......Brookville, NY ?????.......none Places in the Village of Brookville have either a "Glen Head, NY 11545", "Greenvale, NY, 11548" or a "Jericho, NY 11753" 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 Brookville (incorporated on 1931) in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County on pages 5 & 11 (map) and 12 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Happy Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day celebrating the New Year for trees (begins Friday, February 6 at sunset), 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.