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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Islip (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Islip. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Islip is located in Suffolk County.

To see how the shape of New York's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Below are the counties that are near Islip. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Islip:

  • Suffolk County     (The home county of Islip)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Islip, with the one closest to Islip listed first.
    • East Islip
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Islip Terrace
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Islip Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Islip Terrace
      • Islip Terrace is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Islip Terrace <2>
    • Bay Shore
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Great River
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Great River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great River
      • Great River is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Great River <2>
    • North Great River
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Great River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Great River
      • North Great River is located in Suffolk County
    • Brightwaters
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brightwaters have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brightwaters
      • Brightwaters is located in Suffolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,050 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brightwaters <2>
    • North Bay Shore
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bay Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bay Shore
      • North Bay Shore is located in Suffolk County
    • Oakdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Oakdale is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <2>
    • West Bay Shore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bay Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bay Shore
      • West Bay Shore is located in Suffolk County
    • Central Islip
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Brentwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Baywood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baywood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
      • Baywood is located in Suffolk County
    • Bohemia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Nassau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Islip, with the one closest to Islip listed first.
    • East Massapequa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Massapequa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Massapequa
      • East Massapequa is located in Nassau County
    • Farmingdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Massapequa Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Massapequa Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massapequa Park
      • Massapequa Park is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,034 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Massapequa Park <2>
    • Old Bethpage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Bethpage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bethpage
      • Old Bethpage is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Old Bethpage <2>
    • South Farmingdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Farmingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Farmingdale
      • South Farmingdale is located in Nassau County
    • North Massapequa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Massapequa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Massapequa
      • North Massapequa is located in Nassau County
    • Plainview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainview <2>
    • Bethpage
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Biltmore Shores
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Harbor Green
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Massapequa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Plainedge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Swedetown Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swedetown Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedetown Village
      • Swedetown Village is located in Nassau County
  • Queens County
  • Westchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Islip, with the one closest to Islip listed first.
    • Milton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Westchester County
    • Port Chester
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rye
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairfield County (CT)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Islip, see our County-by-County Page for Islip.

Cemeteries Near Islip ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Islip.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Islip covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Islip, with the one closest to Islip listed first.

  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Old Central Islip Psychiatric Center Patient Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Brentwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brentwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brentwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • First Methodist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Methodist Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bohemia Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. John Nepomucene RC Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John Nepomucene RC Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John Nepomucene RC Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Babylon Rural Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Ann's Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Ann's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Ann's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (234 more) ...
    • St. Lawrence Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lawrence Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lawrence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hauppauge Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hauppauge Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hauppauge Methodist Episcopal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pilgrim State Psychiatric Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Islip had a population of 1,139 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Islip, with the one closest to Islip listed first.

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Islip. See our List of 1890's Communities around Islip.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Islip ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 209 newspapers that have been published in the area around Islip.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Islip. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Islip and those printed in the larger area surrounding Islip.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6> of Islip.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Islip:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Islip. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Suffolk County: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Islip, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Islip) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Islip. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7297, Longitude: -73.2107    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025