On 3/19/06 (3:43:41 PM MST), in a posting to NYSUFFOL-L@rootsweb.com, Jim WARD (jimone2@telapex.com) asks, "Hadden HUDSON died November 1985, living in East Marion, Suffolk, County. His spouse Hazel HUDSON died March 1996, living in Mattituck, Suffolk County. I attempted to obtain a death certificate from the respective Clerks. I was turned down because I am not on the list of relatives entitled to the information. I am a great-nephew. Can a list member or members supply me with the name and address of the libraries and newspapers serving the respective towns in the time period 1985-1996. I would now like to obtain a copy of the obits for each, if one was printed." I will be replying in two separate comments because you are asking about two separate communities: East Marion and Mattituck. The first of the two comments is for East Marion: For questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Floyd Memorial Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Floyd Memorial Library 539 First Street Greenport, NY 11944 Tel: 631/477-0660 Fax: 631/477-2647 eMail: flydlib@suffolk.lib.ny.us http://floydmemoriallibrary.northfork.net/ The pertinent geography: East Marion is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the eastern end of the Town of Southold, in the extreme northeast part of Suffolk County. There are 1 village (municipal corporation) and 10 hamlets (unincorporated areas) in the Town of Southold. 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 East Marion in the Town of Southold is bordered on the north by the Long Island Sound; on the east by the Hamlet of Orient; on the south by Gardiner's Bay; and, on the west by Hamlet of Greenport West. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 32 villages and 125 hamlets), the Hamlet of East Marion has a different border than does the "East Marion, NY" postal zone. There are places that have an "East Marion, NY" mailing address that are in the Hamlet of Orient. For those who have their copy of the 2005 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 Marion in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County on pages 15 & 30 (map) and 31 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Walter Greenspan Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY 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.