This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/lRB.2ACE/861.1 Message Board Post: On 4/13/05 (1:16:37 PM MDT), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Lynn Scott (lts64@hotmail.com) asked, "I'm looking for the burial of Elizabeth Hermantz/Heermance/etc. married Snedeker, d. 4 Nov 1900, b. abt 1803, NY. Died in Brooklyn, Kings, NY. Buried in E. Norwich, Nassau, NY on 6 Nov 1900." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): 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 The pertinent geography East Norwich is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the north part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in the northeast part of Nassau County. There are 18 hamlets and 18 villages (municipal corporations) 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 its northern border and proceeding clockwise, the Hamlet of East Norwich in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by the Village of Upper Brockville, the Hamlet of Oyster Bay and the Village of Oyster Bay Cove; on the east by the Village of Oyster Bay Cove; on the south by the Hamlet of Syosset and the Village of Muttontown; and, on the west by the Village of Muttontown and the Village of Upper Brookville. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of East Norwich has a different border than does the "East Norwich, NY 1732" postal zone (i.e., a place can have an East Norwich mailing address and not be in East Norwich and a place can be in East Norwich and have other than an East Norwich mailing address). ............................................acres .....Hamlet of East Norwich........693 .....East Norwich, NY 11732....1,292 Therefore, about half the places that have a "East Norwich, NY" mailing address are NOT in East Norwich, but in some other hamlet or village. (A goodly portion of the Village of Muttontown is within the borders of the "East Norwich, NY" postal zone.) Additionally, the "East Norwich, NY 11732" postal zone is a "bifurcated" postal zone: it consists of two non-connected areas, with the two (2) areas separated by the "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" postal zone. For those who have their copy of the 2004 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 East Norwich in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County on pages 5 & 11 (map) and 12 (population estimate). Please note: There used to be two (2) "Norwiches" in New York State. When the U.S. Postal Service changed their rules to disallow the multiple use of the same geographic name more than once in the same state, the Norwich near the current City of Binghamton in Broome County continued to be called "Norwich" and the "Norwich" in the Town of Oyster Bay, then part of Queens County, modified its name to "East Norwich". 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.