On 1/24/04 (12:21:27 PM MST), Mike (m.dowding@virgin.net) asked, "I have found a ships manifest via Ellis Island site with a party of Youngs going to the Husband/Father Robert Young at Blackford Hall, Cold Spring, Long Island. At the moment I am not sure these are mine as Robert Young is a bit of a common name for Scottish immigrants. However, all the names tie up and certainly my grandmother Jean Young ended up in Huntington as did my grandmother and grandfather. for a time. QUESTION What is/was Blackford Hall? Where in Cold Spring is it?" Whatever Blackford Hall was in the unspecified year you're seeking information about, Blackford Hall is now the dining facility at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and, thus for questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as well as the Cold Spring Harbor Library: Public Affairs Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Bungtown Road Laurel Hollow (Cold Spring Harbor P.O.), NY 11724 Tel: 516/367-8397 Fax: 516/???-???? eMail: pubaff@cshl.edu http://www.cshl.org/ Cold Spring Harbor Library 75 Goose Hill Road Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724-1315 Tel: 631/692-6820 Fax: 631/692-6827 eMail: cshrref@suffolk.lib.ny.us http://cshlibrary.suffolk.lib.ny.us/ Laurel Hollow is one of those many communities on Long Island where none of the places in Laurel Hollow have a "Laurel Hollow, NY" mailing address. The pertinent geography: Laurel Hollow is a village (incorporated in 1926 as Laurelton, after a local mansion; but, because of confusion with a Queens County community of the same name, the village changed it to Laurel Hollow in 1935) in the northeastern part of the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, along the Oyster Bay/Huntington town line and the Nassau/Suffolk county 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 Laurel Hollow in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by Cold Spring Harbor; on the east by the Hamlet of Cold Spring Harbor in the Town of Huntington (the Oyster Bay/Huntington town line and the Nassau/Suffolk county line); on the south by the Hamlet of Woodbury; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Syosset and the Village of Oyster Bay Cove. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of Laurel Hollow has a different border than does the postal zones that service its area. In this case, there is no "Laurel Hollow, NY" postal zone. .............................................acres .....Village of Laurel Hollow.......1,868 .....Laurel Hollow, NY ?????......none Places within the Village of Laurel Hollow are in the "Oyster Bay, NY 11771", the "Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724", the "Woodbury, NY 11797" or the "Syosset, NY 11791" postal zone. The world-famous Cold Spring Harbor Lab is actually in the Village of Laurel Hollow in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and not in the Hamlet of Cold Spring Harbor in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, 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 Laurel Hollow (incorporated in 1926) 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. 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.