This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lRB.2ACE/894.1 Message Board Post: On 6/27/05 (8:54:00 PM MDT), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Stan Hultgren (hultgren@worldnet.att.net) asked, "I am searching for obituaries for Oscar Sigfrid SANDAHL who died in Merrick or North Merrick (are they the same?) 18 Aug 1992; his first wife, Marguerite SANDAHL, who died in Merrick probably in Oct/Nov 1963; and his second wife, Ruth SANDAHL, who died in Merrick 02 Aug 2000. Would also like to find burial place for all three." Even though they share a postal zone (Merrick, NY 11566 ) with part of the Hamlet of North Bellmore, North Merrick and Merrick are separate hamlets in the Town of Hempstead and they are in separate library districts: For questions such as yours, you may want to contact both the North Merrick Public Library and the Merrick Library: North Merrick Public Library 1691 Meadowbrook Road North Merrick (Merrick P.O.), NY 11566 Tel: 516/378-7474 Fax: 516/378-0876 eMail: ????? http://www.nassaulibrary.org/nmerrick/ The Merrick Library 2279 Merrick Ave. Merrick, NY 11566 Tel: 516/379-3476 Fax: 516/868-6230 eMail: ????? http://www.nassaulibrary.org/merrick/ North Merrick is one of those many communities on Long Island where none of the places in North Merrick have a "North Merrick, NY" mailing address. The pertinent geography for North Merrick: North Merrick is a hamlet (unincorporated area) in the center-west section of the Town of Hempstead in the central-south part of Nassau County. There are 22 villages (municipal corporations) and 36 hamlets all or partly within the Town of Hempstead. 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 North Merrick in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of East Meadow; on the east by the Hamlet of North Bellmore; on the south by the Hamlet of Merrick; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Roosevelt and the Hamlet of Uniondale. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of North Merrick has a different border than does the "North Merrick, NY" postal zone: in this case, there is no "North Merrick, NY" postal zone. ..............................................acres ....Hamlet of North Merrick........1,114 ....North Merrick, NY ?????.......none Most places in the Hamlet of North Merrick have a "Merrick, NY 11566" mailing address, with some having a "Bellmore, NY 11710" mailing address. The pertinent geography for Merrick: Merrick is a hamlet (unincorporated area) in the center-south section of the Town of Hempstead, in the central-south part of Nassau County. There are 22 villages (municipal corporations) and 36 hamlets all or partly within the Town of Hempstead. 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 Merrick in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of North Merrick and the Hamlet of North Bellmore; on the east by the Hamlet of Bellmore; on the south by the offshore islands scattered in the Great South Bay; and, on the west by the Village of Freeport. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of Merrick has a different border than does the "Merrick, NY 11566" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Merrick mailing address and not be in Merrick and a place can be in Merrick and have other than a Merrick mailing address). ......................................acres ....Hamlet of Merrick........2,647 ....Merrick, NY 11566......3,860 As you can observe, 1 out of 3 places with a Merrick mailing address is not in Merrick. These places are in parts of the Hamlets of North Merrick and North Bellmore; and, at the same time, there are places that are in Merrick that have a "Freeport, NY 11520" mailing address. 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 North Merrick and the Hamlet of Merrick in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County on pages 5 & 8 (map) and 9 (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.