On 3/15/06 (6:20:42 PM MST), Elizabeth (KCANDME103@aol.com) asked, "I'm new to this list. Is there a county clerk office for this area ... Sag Harbor, NY ... where I may write to obtain a copy of a death certificate? Any help would be appreciated." As is the case in every other county in New York State, you would seek a death cerificate form the city, town (for hamlets and smaller villages) or village, and in this case, Sag Harbor is a village and thus you would then want to cotnact the office of the Village Clerk of the Village of Sag Harbor: Village Clerk Village of Sag Harbor Sag Harbor Village Hall 55 Main Street P.O. BOX 660 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Tel: 631/725-0222 Fax: 631/725-0316 eMail: ????? http://www.sagharborny.gov/departments.asp?id=1 The pertinent geography: Sag Harbor is a village (incorporated in 1846) partly in the northeast part of the Town of Southampton and partly in the northwest part of the Town of East Hampton, in the southeast part of Suffolk County. There are currently 6 villages (municipal corporations) and 17 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly in the Town of Southampton and 2 villages and 7 hamlets all or partly in the Town of East Hampton. 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 Village of Sag Harbor is bordered on the north by the Village of North Haven (Town of Southampton); on the east by the Gardiner's Bay and the Hamlet of Northwest Harbor (Town of East Hampton); on the south by the Hamlets of Wainscott (Town of East Hampton) and Bridgehampton (Town of Southampton); and, on the west by the Hamlet of Noyack (Town of Southampton) and the Little Peconic Bay. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Village of Sag Harbor has a different border than does the "Sag Harbor, NY 11963" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Sag Harbor mailing address and not be in Sag Harbor). Those places that have a "Sag Harbor, NY" mailing address that are not in the Village of Sag Harbor are in the Village of North Haven, the Hamlet of Noyack, the Hamlet of Northwest Harbor and the Hamlet of Bridgehampton.. For those who have their copy of the 2005 or earlier edition of the 1 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 Village of Sag Harbor (incorporated in 1846) in the Towns of Southampton and East Hampton, Suffolk County on pages 15, 28 & 32 (map) and 29 & 33 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Regards, 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.