On 3/29/04 (5:38:21 PM MST), in a posting to the Suffolk County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYSUFFOL-L@rootsweb.com, Jon Raymond (jraymond651@aol.com) asked, "Is there someone in the Oakdale area that can help? I'm trying to find obituaries for Lauren Austin Raymond (born 31 August 1917 in North Dakota, died May 1996...last residence is Oakdale) and Mary (nee Burke) Raymond (born 31 August 1917, died May 1996...last residence is Oakdale). Unfortunately, I do not have exact dates of death." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Connetquot Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Connetquot Public Library 760 Ocean Avenue Bohemia, NY 11716 Tel: 631/567-5079 Fax: 631/???-???? eMail: http://www.connetquot.lib.ny.us/question.html http://www.connetquot.lib.ny.us/ The pertinent geography: Oakdale is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the southeast part of the Town of Islip, in the southwest part Suffolk County. There are 4 villages (municipal corporations) and 23 hamlets all or partly in the Town of Islip. 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 Oakdale in the Town of Islip is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Bohemia; on the east by the Hamlet of West Sayville; on the south by the Great South Bay; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Great River. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Oakdale has a different border than does the " Oakdale, NY 11769" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Oakdale mailing address and not be in Oakdale). Those places that have a " Oakdale, NY" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Oakdale are in the Hamlet of West Sayville. 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 Oakdale in the Town of Islip on pages 14 & 20 (map) and 21 (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.