Thank you Walter! I am trying to get back into my search for Great Grandparents -- GROSBOUER. Their son (my grandfather) was born in NY in 1861--according to his death certificate. However, I can find no Grosbouer until 1880 when his mother, Jane Perry Grosbouer is enumerated: a 48 year old widow and servant in a Brooklyn household. Then I lose her again. I think it's because she re-married. Grandfather's obit refers to a half or step-brother named James Coyle. Young Charles Grosbouer (age 19) was enumerated there in 1880. He returned to Brooklyn by 1884 where he married and his first child was born. The Grosbouers returned to the East End--and I think his mother either married in Brooklyn and accompanied them or joined them and married there. There are a lot of Coyles in both places, but the smaller community would be easier to search. As a child we made frequent visits to Greenport where they settled when my Dad and his sibs were high school age. My cousin and I recall parents' conversations about this, but I recall little other than that. She and her parents lived in Greenport and she seems to recall visiting "someone". I admit I've had less trouble searching for relatives in the early 1800s than I have run into with this couple of fairly recent history. Grandfather and grandmother only died in 1930-1932. I appreciate your knowledge of Long Island lore and history. It shows you must love the area--as I do and sometimes I miss it. Jan in California Soyamaven@aol.com wrote: On 12/27/03 (11:20:32 AM MST), as part of an eMail, Jan (jgrellim@sbcglobal.net ) wrote, "I now have a clue that suggests the marriage may have taken place in either Greenport or Orient, Long Island, the county seat of which is Riverhead." Greenport is a village and Orient is a hamlet in the Town of Southold, and you may be able to find what you are seeking by contacting the Village Clerk for the Village of Greenport and/or the Town Clerk for the Town of Southold. Village Clerk Village of Greenport Greenport Village Hall 236 Third Street, Greenport, NY 11944 Tel: 631/477-2385 Fax: 631/477-1877 eMail: ????? http://www.??????.??? Town Clerk Town of Southold Southold Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 53095 Main Road Southold, NY 11971 Tel: 631/765-1981 Fax: 631/765-1823 eMail: ????? http://www.northfork.net/southold/ The pertinent geography for the Village of Greenport: Greenport is a village (incorporated in 1838) in the eastern part of the Town of Southold, Suffolk County. There are 1 village and 10 hamlets in the Town of Southold. 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 Village of Greenport in the Town of Southold is bordered on the north, east and west by the Hamlet of West Greenport; and, on the south by Peconic Bay. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Village of Greenport has a different border than does the "Greenport, NY" postal zone. There are places that have a "Greenport, NY 11944" mailing address that are not in the Village of Greenport. These places are in the Hamlet of West Greenport. The pertinent geography for the Hamlet of Orient: Orient is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the eastern part -- Orient is at the extreme eastern end of the north fork -- of the Town of Southold, Suffolk County. There are 1 village and 10 hamlets in the Town of Southold. 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 Orient in the Town of Southold is bordered on the north and east by the Long Island Sound; on the south by Gardiner's Bay; and, on the west by Hamlet of East Marion. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Orient has a different border than does the "Orient, NY" postal zone. There are places in the Hamlet of Orient that have an East Marion, NY 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 Village of Greenport (incorporated in 1838) and the Hamlet of Orient in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County on pages 15 & 28 (map) and 29 (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. ==== NY-LONGISLAND Mailing List ==== * * * IS YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE UP TO DATE?? * * * Karima, List Administrator mailto:NY-LONGISLAND-admin@rootsweb.com List Guidelines: http://userweb.springnet1.com/quest/LongIslandWelcome.html Jan G. Miller jgrellim@sbcglobal.net