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 Ocean Bay Park (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 Ocean Bay Park. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Ocean Bay Park 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 Ocean Bay Park. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ocean Bay Park:
- Suffolk County (The home county of Ocean Bay Park)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ocean Bay Park, with the one closest to Ocean Bay Park listed first.
- Fire Island
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fire Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fire Island
- Fire Island is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fire Island <2>
- Ocean Beach
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Beach
- Ocean Beach is located in Suffolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean Beach <2>
- Saltaire
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saltaire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltaire
- Saltaire is located in Suffolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saltaire <2>
- Great River
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- 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>
- West Sayville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Sayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sayville
- West Sayville is located in Suffolk County
- Water Island
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Island
- Water Island is located in Suffolk County
- North Great River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- 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
- Oakdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- 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>
- Sayville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Islip
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Islip
- East Islip is located in Suffolk County
- Islip
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bayport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bay Shore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Nassau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ocean Bay Park, with the one closest to Ocean Bay Park listed first.
- East Massapequa
(15 miles [24.1 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
- Massapequa Park
(16 miles [25.7 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>
- South Farmingdale
(16 miles [25.7 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
- Biltmore Shores
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Shores
- Biltmore Shores is located in Nassau County
- Farmingdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Harbor Green
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Green
- Harbor Green is located in Nassau County
- Massapequa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- North Massapequa
(17 miles [27.4 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
- Old Bethpage
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- Plainedge
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainedge
- Plainedge is located in Nassau County
- Seaford
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaford
- Seaford is located in Nassau County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seaford <2>
- Bethpage
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- North Wantagh
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wantagh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wantagh
- North Wantagh is located in Nassau County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ocean Bay Park, see our County-by-County Page for Ocean Bay Park.
Cemeteries Near Ocean Bay Park ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ocean Bay Park.
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 Ocean Bay Park covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ocean Bay Park, with the one closest to Ocean Bay Park listed first.
- St. Ann's Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- 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.
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- 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.
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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.
- Old Central Islip Psychiatric Center Patient Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Blue Point Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Point Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bohemia Union Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- St. John Nepomucene RC Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- 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.
- Calvary Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
- The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sisters of St. Joseph Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #64108 <3>
- First Methodist Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (163 more) ...
- Rice Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rice Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rice Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lakeview Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. de Sales Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Ocean Bay Park in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ocean Bay Park.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ocean Bay Park, with the one closest to Ocean Bay Park listed first.
- Fire Island
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fire Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fire Island
- Fire Island is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fire Island <2>
- Great River
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- 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>
- West Sayville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Sayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sayville
- West Sayville is located in Suffolk County
- Sayville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Islip
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bayport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bay Shore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bohemia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Central Islip
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Brentwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Patchogue
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Ronkonkoma
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Babylon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- East Patchogue
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Patchogue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Patchogue
- East Patchogue is located in Suffolk County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ocean Bay Park. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ocean Bay Park.
Newspapers Published in Ocean Bay Park ...
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 193 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ocean Bay Park.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ocean Bay Park, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ocean Bay Park.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Ocean Bay Park:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Suffolk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ocean Bay Park. 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> | 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. |
<4> | 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 Ocean Bay Park, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ocean Bay Park) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ocean Bay Park. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.6487, Longitude: -73.1401 In this case, the coordinates for Ocean Bay Park have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |