On 3/15/04 (1:03:06 PM MST), as part of an eMail to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Donna Ristenbatt (DRistenbatt@dejazzd.com) asked, "Is there a will index for Nassau County that I might access? I am trying to find out if John Dawson MILLER left a will in 1931. He was of Oyster Bay. He was living in Oyster Bay on the 1930 census and feel he died there." Probate records, including Wills, Estates and Administration/Small Estates are filed in Surrogate's Court. Surrogate's Court 262 Old Country Road Mineola, New York 11501 To find out the proper procedure for obtaining this information, you can call 516/571-2082. Additionally, you may want to contact either/or the Oyster Bay Historical Society and the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library (the Society or the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): : The Oyster Bay Historical Society P.O. Box 297 20 Summit Street Oyster Bay, NY 11771-0297 Tel: 516/922-5032 Fax: 516/922-6892 eMail: OBHistory@aol.com http://members.aol.com/OBHistory/ Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library 89 East Main Street Oyster Bay 11771 Tel: 516/922-1212 Fax: 516/922-6453 eMail: ??????? http://www.nassaulibrary.org/oysterbay/index.html Oyster Bay is one of those communities on Long Island where the majority of the places with an Oyster Bay mailing address are not in Oyster Bay, and it is important to know that there are 3 "Oyster Bays" (from smallest to largest, in order of acreage): 1. There is the Hamlet of Oyster Bay = 763 acres 2. There is the Oyster Bay, NY 11771 postal zone = 7,002 acres 3. There is the Town of Oyster Bay = 70,908 acres The pertinent geography: Oyster Bay is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northern most part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in the north-eastern part of Nassau County. There are 18 villages (municipal corporations) and 18 hamlets all or partly in 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 Oyster Bay in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by Oyster Bay Harbor, on the east by the Village of Oyster Bay Cove, on the south by the Hamlet of East Norwich and on the west by the Village of Upper Brookville and the Village of Mill Neck. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of Oyster Bay has a different border than does the "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" postal zone (i.e., a place can have an Oyster Bay mailing address and not be in Oyster Bay). .............................................acres .....Hamlet of Oyster Bay............763 .....Oyster Bay, NY 11771........7,002 .....Town of Oyster Bay..........70,908 Thus, you can readily see that 9 of every 10 places with an "Oyster Bay" mailing address are NOT in the Hamlet of Oyster Bay. [These places may be in the Village of Centre Island (incorporated in 1926), the Village of Cove Neck (incorporated in 1927), the Village of Oyster Bay Cove (incorporated in 1931), the Village of Laurel Hollow (incorporated in 1926), the Hamlet of East Norwich, the Village of Muttontown (incorporated in 1931), the Village of Upper Brookville (incorporated in 1932) and the Village of Mill Neck (incorporated in 1924).] 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 Hamlet of Oyster Bay 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.