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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 Shirley (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 Shirley. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Shirley 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 Shirley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shirley:

  • Suffolk County     (The home county of Shirley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Mastic
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mastic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastic
      • Mastic is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mastic <2>
    • Moriches
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moriches have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriches
      • Moriches is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moriches <2>
    • Mastic Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Brookhaven
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Yaphank
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Center Moriches
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Upton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Greenwood Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
      • Greenwood Village is located in Suffolk County
    • North Bellport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bellport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bellport
      • North Bellport is located in Suffolk County
    • East Moriches
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Manorville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manorville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manorville
      • Manorville is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manorville <2>
    • Bellport
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellport
      • Bellport is located in Suffolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,040 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellport <2>
  • Nassau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Farmingdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Old Bethpage
      (30 miles [48.3 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
      (30 miles [48.3 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
  • Fairfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Stratford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Rock
      • Black Rock is located in Fairfield County (CT)
  • New Haven County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Milford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Milford is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,781 people
    • Milford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Milford is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Shirley ...

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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shirley.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Shirley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Shirley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Shirley.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3> of Shirley.

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 Shirley:

Cemeteries Near Shirley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shirley.

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 Shirley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • South Haven Presbyterian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Haven Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Haven Presbyterian Cemetery
  • Samuel Carman & Nathaniel Miller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samuel Carman & Nathaniel Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samuel Carman & Nathaniel Miller Cemetery
  • Barteau Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barteau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barteau Cemetery
  • Nathaniel Hawkins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nathaniel Hawkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nathaniel Hawkins Cemetery
  • David Hawkins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the David Hawkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the David Hawkins Cemetery
  • Corwin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corwin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corwin Cemetery
  • Floyd Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Floyd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Floyd Cemetery
  • William Hawkins & Daniel Downs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the William Hawkins & Daniel Downs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the William Hawkins & Daniel Downs Cemetery
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaklawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaklawn Cemetery
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodland Cemetery
  • St. George Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. George Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. George Cemetery
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Cemetery
  • Continue List   (155 more) ...
    • St. Andrew's Episcopal Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Andrew's Episcopal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Andrew's Episcopal Cemetery
    • Homan & Buckingham Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Homan & Buckingham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Homan & Buckingham Cemetery
    • Yaphank Village Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yaphank Village Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yaphank Village Cemetery

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 Shirley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Shirley.

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

  • South Haven
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Haven
    • South Haven is located in Suffolk County
  • Brookhaven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Moriches
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moriches have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriches
    • Moriches is located in Suffolk County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moriches <2>
  • Yaphank
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Center Moriches
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bellport
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellport
    • Bellport is located in Suffolk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,040 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellport <2>
  • East Moriches
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Manorville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manorville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manorville
    • Manorville is located in Suffolk County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manorville <2>
  • Middle Island
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Island
    • Middle Island is located in Suffolk County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middle Island <2>
  • Medford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • East Patchogue
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Eastport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastport
    • Eastport is located in Suffolk County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Patchogue
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Speonk
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Speonk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speonk
      • Speonk is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Speonk <2>
    • Coram
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shirley. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shirley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shirley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.8015, Longitude: -72.8676       In this case, the coordinates for Shirley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Shirley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024