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/jUB.2ACI/776.1 Message Board Post: On 10/18/03 (8:53:23 PM MDT), in a posting to the Suffolk County Board that was 'gatewayed' to : [email protected], Margaret Cenci Frontera ([email protected]) asked, "I need to get 2 death certs of brothers who died in Suffolk County ... Lindenhurst. Where do I go for these? The town, the County, or Albany. One person died in 1950 and one died in 1929. Both are my first cousins once removed." Lindenhurst is a village (municipal corporation) in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County. I'll explain why this is important a bit later in this eMail. The collection of Vital Records in New York State begin in 1881, and are required to be kept by the city or town, as the case may be, in which the event (birth, death, marriage) occurred and by the state (Albany). Some of the larger villages do maintain these records, but not all villages do as they may voluntarily waive their right to do so and make it a responsibility of the town(s) in which the village is (are) in. If the place where the event occurred is in a village, the Town Clerk will tell you if the village or the town maintains the record. Currently, there are 10 towns in Suffolk County: Huntington Babylon Smithtown Islip Brookhaven Riverhead Southold Southampton Shelter Island East Hampton There are 2 cities (Glen Cove and Long Beach) and 3 towns (Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in Nassau County. In this regard, please remember that it is very important to know in which city or town (or village) the event took place and the city or town (or village) could be different from the city or town (or village) where the individual may have resided. I'm including after my name a NYS Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, hamlet and postal zone. As I wrote, Lindenhurst is a village (incorporated in 1923) in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County. There are 3 villages and 12 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly within the Town of babylon. Which means you would first want to contact the Village Clerk for the Village of Lindenhurst: Village Clerk Village of Lindenhurst Lindenhurst Village Hall 430 South Wellwood Avenue Lindenhurst, NY 11757 Tel: 631/957-7500 Fax: 631/???-???? eMail: [email protected] http://www.villageoflindenhurst.com/ But, because not every place with a "Lindenhurst, NY mailing address is in the Village of Lindenhurst (those places that have a "Lindenhurst, NY" mailing address that are not in the Village of Lindenhurst are in the Hamlet of North Lindenhurst), here's the contact information for the Town Clerk for the Town of Babylon: Office of the Town Clerk Town of Babylon Babylon Town Hall 200 East Sunrise Highway Lindenhurst, NY 11757 Tel: 631/957-3000 Fax: 631/957-7440 eMail: ????? http://www.babylonli.com/contact/index.cfm I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Sincerely, 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.