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/847.1 Message Board Post: On 3/4/05 (8:15:45 PM MST), in a posting to the Nassau County Ancestry Board that was 'gatewayed' to NYNASSAU-L@rootsweb.com, Cheryl Hamm (hammc@localnet.com) asked, "I have hit a dead end and was hoping this group would have some suggestions, or even better yet, have a match. I am looking for information on James LONG B 8-jul-1876 (supposedly in Ireland). D: 20-nov-1926 and was burried in Greenfield Cemetery. He married Emelia UTZ 26-Oct-1904. They made their home in West Hempstead. I have no further information on James's parents or documentation of birth/immigration, etc." For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the West Hempstead Public Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): West Hempstead Public Library 252 Chestnut Street West Hempstead, NY 11552 Tel: 516/481-6591 Fax: 516/481-2608 eMail: westhempsteadpl@yahoo.com http://www.nassaulibrary.org/westhemp/whplfrme.htm The pertinent geography: West Hempstead is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northwest section of the Town of Hempstead, in the southwest 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 West Hempstead in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Garden City South and the Village of Garden City; on the east by the Village of Hempstead; on the south by the Hamlets of Lakeview and Malverne Park; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Franklin Square. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of West Hempstead has a different border than does the "West Hempstead, NY 11552" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a West Hempstead mailing address and not be in West Hempstead). ……………………………………..............acres ……Hamlet of West Hempstead…………1,849 ……West Hempstead, NY 11552………..2,512 Thus, about 1 out of every 4 places with a "West Hempstead, NY" mailing address are NOT in the Hamlet of West Hempstead. (Places in the Hamlets of Franklin Square and Garden City South may have West Hempstead, NY mailing addresses.) For those who have their copy of the 2003 or earlier editions 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 West Hempstead 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.