On 5/25/04 (4:51:03 PM MDT), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, David Helfrich (dhelfrich3@comcast.net) asked, "I could use some help with an obituary for Duane Helfrich of Long Beach, Nassau County, New York. He died February 19, 1941 in Brooklyn, where he worked. He lived at 573 Magnolia Blvd. with his wife Virginia. Any help is appreciated." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Long Beach Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Long Beach Public Library 111 West Park Avenue Long Beach, NY 11561 Tel: 516/432-7201 Fax: 516/889-4641 eMail: lblibrary@yahoo.com http://www.nassaulibrary.org/longbeach/ The pertinent geography: Long Beach is a city located on Long Beach Island in the southwest part of Nassau County. There are 2 cites 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.) Long Beach incorporated as a city in 1922 and became independent of the Town of Hempstead. Prior to that date, Long Beach was a village (incorporated in 1918) and prior to that, Long Beach was a hamlet (unincorporated area) in the Town of Hempstead, initially in Queens County until January 1, 1899, and since then in Nassau County. Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the City of Long Beach is bordered on the north by Hewlett Bay and Reynolds Channel; on the east by the Hamlet of Lido Beach in the Town of Hempstead; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean; and, on the west by the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach in the Town of Hempstead. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), it has a different border than does the "Long Beach, NY 11561" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Long Beach mailing address and not be in Long Beach). ..............................................acres ........City of Long Beach..........1,590 ........Long Beach, NY 11561....2,571 As you can see, 2 out of every 5 places with a Long Beach address are NOT in the City of Long Beach. These places that have a "Long Beach" mailing address, but are not in the City of Long Beach are either in the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach or the Hamlet of Lido Beach, both of these hamlets are in the Town of Hempstead. For those who have their copy of the 2003 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 City of Long Beach (incorporated in 1922), Nassau County on pages 2, 5 & 8 (map) and 10 (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.