On 5/24/04 (8:31:48 AM MDT), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, E Thompson (phillip-eileenthompson@msn.com) asked, "Looking for William GORHAM, born PA 1898, died Mar.1979 Hempstead, Nassau, NY. Obit, cemetary, funeral home all needed. Living relatives???" For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Hempstead Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Hempstead Public Library 115 Nichols Court Hempstead, NY 11550 Tel: 516/481-6990 Fax: 516/481-6719 eMail: hempstead@nassaulibrary.org http://www.nassaulibrary.org/hempstd/ It is important to know that there are 3 "Hempsteads" (from smallest to largest, in order of acreage): 1. There is the Village of Hempstead = 2,327 acres 2. There is the Hempstead, NY 11550 postal zone = 2,652 acres 3. There is the Town of Hempstead = 22,621 acres The pertinent geography: Hempstead is a village (incorporated in 1853) in the north-center section of the Town of Hempstead, in the central part of Nassau County. There are 22 villages and 36 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly within the Town of Hempstead. 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 Hempstead in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Village of Garden City and the Hamlet of East Garden City; on the east by the Hamlets of East Garden City and Uniondale; on the south by the Hamlets of Baldwin and South Hempstead; and, on the west by the Hamlet of West Hempstead. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of Hempstead has a different border than does the "Hempstead, NY 11550" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Hempstead mailing address and not be in the Village of Hempstead). ..........................................acres .....Village of Hempstead.......2,327 .....Hempstead, NY 11550.....2,652 The Town of Hempstead is 22,621 acres. As you can see from the above, about 12.5% of the places that have a "Hempstead" mailing address are not in the Village of Hempstead. (Portions of the Hamlets of East Garden City and South Hempstead have Hempstead, NY mailing addresses.) For those who have their copy of the 2003 or earlier editions 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 Hempstead (incorporated in 1853) in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County on pages 5 & 8 (map) and 9 (population estimate). One final statistic: the Town of Hempstead is the most populous town (or township) in the U.S. The January 1, 2003 population is 759,535 (LIPA 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.