On 3/19/06 (12:22:06 PM MST), in a posting to NYSUFFOL-L@rootsweb.com, Dawna Clark (dclark10@cfl.rr.com) asked, "Need information on one John Henry Berry Sr. born c.a. 1860 probably in Southold. He married Doris Osterby 7/1/1884 and they had seven children. He died sometime after 1907. I have no exact death date nor do I know where he is buried. Thanks for any help you can provide. Is there a historian in Southold to communicate with?" There is both an historian and an historical society: Ms. Antonia Booth Town Historian Southold Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 53095 Main Road Southold, NY 11971 Tel: 631/765-1981 Fax: 631/765-1823 eMail: antonia.booth@town.southold.ny.us http://southoldtown.northfork.net//historian.htm Southold Historical Society 54325 Main Road Southold, NY 11971 Tel: 631/765-5500 Fax: 631/765-5500 eMail: sohissoc@optonline.net www.southoldhistoricalsociety.org Also, for questions such as yours, you may want to contact the Southold Free Library (the library can suggest which local newspaper might have this information and other possible sources of information): Southold Free Library 53705 Main Road Southold, NY 11971 Tel: 631/765-2077 Fax: 631/765-2197 eMail: sohdlib@suffolk.lib.ny.us http://sohd.suffolk.lib.ny.us/ It is important to know that there are 3 "Southolds" (from smallest to largest, in order of acreage): 1. There is the Hamlet of Southold 2. There is the Southold, NY 11971 postal zone = 7,002 acres 3. There is the Town of Southold The pertinent geography: Southold is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the center of the Town of Southold, in the 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 Southold in the Town of Southold is bordered on the north by Long Island Sound; on the east by the Hamlet of Greenport West; on the south by the Little Peconic Bay; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Peconic. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 32 villages and 125 hamlets), the Hamlet of Southold has a different border than does the "Southold, NY 11971" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Southold mailing address and not be in Southold and a place can have other than a Southold mailing address and be in Southold). Those places that have a "Southold, NY" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Southold are in the Hamlet of West Greenport; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Southold with a "Peconic, NY 11958" mailing address. 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 Southold 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. 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.