On 5/5/04 (3:26:39 PM MDT), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Nan F (me@writedeep.com) asked, "I'm looking for a local obit for Robert E. Bruce who died in December 1967 in North Massapequa. Also, does anyone know his children, David and Nina, or his wife, Virginia? Is there some way to get birth notices on the children locally?" For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Plainedge Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Plainedge Public Library 1060 Hicksville Road North Massapequa (Massapequa P.O.), NY 11758 Tel: 516/735-4133 Fax: 516/735-4192 eMail: staff@plainedgelibrary.org http://www.nassaulibrary.org/plnedge/ North Massapequa is one of those many communities on Long Island where none of the places in North Massapequa have a "North Massapequa, NY" mailing address. The pertinent geography: North Massapequa is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the south part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in the southeast part of Nassau County, along the Oyster Bay/Hempstead town line. There are 18 villages (municipal corporations) and 18 hamlets 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 the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of North Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Plainedge; on the east by the Hamlet of South Farmingdale and the Village of Massapequa Park; on the south by the Hamlet of Massapequa; and, on the west by the Hamlet of North Wantagh and the Hamlet of Levittown in the Town of Hempstead (the Oyster Bay/Hempstead town line). And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of North Massapequa has a different border than does the postal zone that services its area. In this case, there is no "North Massapequa, NY" postal zone: ......................................................acres ......Hamlet of North Massapequa......1,941 ......North Massapequa, NY ?????.....none All places within the Hamlet of North Massapequa have a "Massapequa, NY 11758", a "Farmingdale, NY 11735", or a "Seaford, NY 117873" mailing address. For those who have their copy of the 2002 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 North Massapequa 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.