RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New York >> Suffolk County >> South Setauket >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 South Setauket (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 South Setauket. 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.

Name Variations for South Setauket ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for South Setauket: S. Setauket

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

South Setauket is located in Suffolk County.

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

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

  • Suffolk County     (The home county of South Setauket)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Setauket, with the one closest to South Setauket listed first.
    • East Setauket
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Terryville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Terryville is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville
    • Poquott
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Poquott is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poquott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
    • Setauket
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Port Jefferson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Stony Brook
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Jefferson Station
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Belle Terre
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Belle Terre is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Terre
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
    • Old Field
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Centereach
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Lake Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Head-of-the-Harbor
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Head-of-the-Harbor is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Head-of-the-Harbor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,452 people
  • Nassau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Setauket, with the one closest to South Setauket listed first.
    • Laurel Hollow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Laurel Hollow is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hollow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,027 people
    • Woodbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Old Bethpage
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cove Neck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Cove Neck is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Neck
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Farmingdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Plainview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Farmingdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • South Farmingdale is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Farmingdale
    • Centre Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Centre Island is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centre Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
    • Oyster Bay Cove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Oyster Bay Cove is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyster Bay Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,243 people
    • Syosset
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bethpage
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Norwich
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • East Norwich is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Norwich
  • Westchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Setauket, with the one closest to South Setauket listed first.
    • Scotts Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Scotts Corners is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Corners
    • Port Chester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Milton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Milton is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Rye
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Rye is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,634 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rye <1>
  • Fairfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Setauket, with the one closest to South Setauket listed first.
    • Black Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Black Rock is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Rock
    • Fairfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Southport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgeport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Bridgeport is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143,525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgeport <1>
    • Stratford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Compo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Compo is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compo
    • Greens Farms
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgeport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bridgeport is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143,525 people
    • Saugatuck
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Saugatuck is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saugatuck
    • Westport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Westport is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,444 people
    • East Norwalk
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • East Norwalk is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Norwalk
    • Fairfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62,215 people
  • New Haven County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Setauket, with the one closest to South Setauket listed first.
    • Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Milford is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,781 people
    • Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Milford is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <1>
    • Orange
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Orange is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,882 people
    • Orange
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • West Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • West Haven is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Haven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,367 people
    • West Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Allingtown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Short Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Short Beach is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Beach
    • Derby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Derby is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,257 people
    • Derby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Derby is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,257 people
      • Former name for Derby:
      • Birmingham
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Derby <1>
    • New Haven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • New Haven is located in New Haven County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130,801 people
    • East Haven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near South Setauket ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Setauket.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for South Setauket - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Nassakeage - Hawkins Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Agudat Achim Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Mills Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Laurel Hill African-American Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Bethel African-American Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Setauket Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (338 more) ...
    • Caroline Episcopal Church Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroline Episcopal Church Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Caroline Episcopal Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Setauket.
      • The Caroline Episcopal Church Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Caroline Churchyard
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #249765 <2>
    • St. James Methodist Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • St. James Episcopal Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)

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.<3>

While we didn't find South Setauket in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of South Setauket.

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

  • East Setauket
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Terryville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Terryville is located in Suffolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville
  • Port Jefferson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Stony Brook
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Setauket
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Saint James
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Selden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Sinai
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Smithtown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Coram
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hauppauge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in South Setauket ...

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 185 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Setauket.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Setauket, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Setauket.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 South Setauket:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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 South Setauket, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- South Setauket) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.