On 2/7/04 (7:55:41 AM MST), in a posting to NYBROOKLYN-L@rootsweb.com, John D (john.dvorak@sbcglobal.net) asked, "anybody know if there is an obituary index that i can find my grandparents obituaries, between the 1970s and 1980s???? They were from Holtsville NY on Long Island" For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Sachem Public Library: Sachem Public Library 150 Holbrook Road Holbrook, NY 11741 Tel: 631/588-5024 Fax: 631/588-5064 eMail sachlib@suffolk.lib.ny.us http://sachem.suffolk.lib.ny.us/ The pertinent geography: Holtsville is a hamlet (unincorporated area) partly in the northeastern part of the Town of Islip and partly in the southwestern part of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County. There are 4 villages (incorporated municipalities) and 23 hamlets all or partly in the Town of Islip. There are 8 villages and 36 hamlets all or partly in the Town of Brookhaven. 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 Holtsville in the Towns of Islip and Brookhaven is bordered on the north by Hamlet of Centereach and the Hamlet of Farmingville in the Town of Brookhaven; on the east by the Hamlet of Farmingville and the Hamlet of Medford in the Town of Brookhaven; on the south by the Hamlet if North Patchogue in the Town of Brookhaven and the Hamlet of Holbrook in the Town of Islip; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Holbrook in the Towns of Islip and Brookhaven. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Holtsville has a different border than does the "Holtsville, NY 11742" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Holtsville mailing address and not be in Holtsville and a place can have other than a Holtsville mailing address and be in Holtsville). Those places that have a "Holtsville, NY" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Holtsville are in the Hamlet of North Patchogue and the Hamlet of Medford; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Holtsville with a "Farmingville, NY 11738" and a "Holbrook, NY 11741" 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 Holtsville in the Towns of Islip and Brookhaven, Suffolk County on pages 14, 20 & 24 (map) and 21 & 25 (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.