RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New York >> Nassau County >> West Hempstead >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
New York

The Commemorative Quarter for New York





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 West Hempstead (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 West Hempstead. 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 West Hempstead ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Hempstead: W. Hempstead

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 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.

West Hempstead is located in Nassau County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Nassau County: Bronx, Queens & Suffolk.

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

  • Nassau County     (The home county of West Hempstead)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Garden City South
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City South have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City South
      • Garden City South is located in Nassau County
    • Hempstead
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Garden City
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garden City <2>
    • Lakeview
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
      • Lakeview is located in Nassau County
    • Franklin Square
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin Square have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Square
      • Franklin Square is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin Square <2>
    • Uniondale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Garden City Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • New Hyde Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Stewart Manor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewart Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Manor
      • Stewart Manor is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,947 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stewart Manor <2>
    • South Hempstead
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hempstead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hempstead
      • South Hempstead is located in Nassau County
    • Malverne
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malverne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malverne
      • Malverne is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malverne <2>
    • South Floral Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Floral Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Floral Park
      • South Floral Park is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,782 people
  • Bronx County
  • Kings County
  • New York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Delano Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delano Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delano Village
      • Delano Village is located in New York County
    • Yorkville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Harlem
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Morningside Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Washington Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
      • East Village is located in New York County
    • Manhattan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Park West Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park West Village
      • Park West Village is located in New York County
    • Peter Cooper Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peter Cooper Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peter Cooper Village
      • Peter Cooper Village is located in New York County
    • Seneca Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca Village
      • Seneca Village is located in New York County
    • Stuyvesant Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stuyvesant Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuyvesant Town
      • Stuyvesant Town is located in New York County
    • Greenwich Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Queens County
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • New Brighton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Old Town Station
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Station
      • Old Town Station is located in Richmond County
    • Grant City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
      • Grant City is located in Richmond County
    • Westerleigh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Oakwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Port Richmond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Richmond
      • Port Richmond is located in Richmond County
    • Staten Island
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Graniteville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Heartland Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heartland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartland Village
      • Heartland Village is located in Richmond County
    • Bloomfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Richmond County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,303 people
    • Great Kills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Annadale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Annadale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annadale
      • Annadale is located in Richmond County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Annadale
      • From West Hempstead to Annadale
  • Rockland County
  • Suffolk County
  • Westchester County
  • Fairfield County (CT)
  • Bergen County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Fort Lee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
      • Fort Lee is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Lee
      • From West Hempstead to Fort Lee
    • Linwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
      • Linwood is located in Bergen County (NJ)
    • Englewood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridgefield Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgefield Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield Park
      • Ridgefield Park is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,837 people
    • Teaneck
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • West Englewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hackensack
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Josephs Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Josephs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Josephs Village
      • Saint Josephs Village is located in Bergen County (NJ)
    • Borough of Wood-Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borough of Wood-Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Wood-Ridge
      • Borough of Wood-Ridge is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Estimated population in 2015: 8,249 people
    • Lyndhurst
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyndhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyndhurst
      • Lyndhurst is located in Bergen County (NJ)
    • Rochelle Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • West Norwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Essex County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Belleville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Newark
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Nutley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nutley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutley
      • Nutley is located in Essex County (NJ)
    • Bloomfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Brookdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • East Orange
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Elm Park Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Park Village
      • Elm Park Village is located in Essex County (NJ)
    • Irvington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irvington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
      • Irvington is located in Essex County (NJ)
    • Montclair Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Montclair
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Orange
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Upper Montclair
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hudson County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Guttenberg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Weehawken
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weehawken have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weehawken
      • Weehawken is located in Hudson County (NJ)
    • West New York
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West New York have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West New York
      • West New York is located in Hudson County (NJ)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,132 people
    • Hoboken
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jersey City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • North Bergen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Union City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Communipaw
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Secaucus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Bayonne
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Harrison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Kearny
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Monmouth County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Navesink Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Belford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belford
      • Belford is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
    • Leonardo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonardo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardo
      • Leonardo is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
    • Navesink
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Navesink. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navesink
      • Navesink is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Navesink
      • From West Hempstead to Navesink
    • Waterloo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapel Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Galilee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Galilee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galilee
      • Galilee is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Galilee
      • From West Hempstead to Galilee
    • North Middletown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Middletown
      • North Middletown is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
    • Port Monmouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Monmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Monmouth
      • Port Monmouth is located in Monmouth County (NJ)
  • Passaic County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Passaic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Athenia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Paterson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • The Village at Little Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Village at Little Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village at Little Falls
      • The Village at Little Falls is located in Passaic County (NJ)
  • Union County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hempstead, with the one closest to West Hempstead listed first.
    • Elizabeth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Elmora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmora
      • Elmora is located in Union County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmora
      • From West Hempstead to Elmora
    • Hillside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Hillside is located in Union County (NJ)

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

Cemeteries Near West Hempstead ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Hempstead.

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

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

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>

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of West Hempstead ...

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 235 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Hempstead.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of West Hempstead. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of West Hempstead and those printed in the larger area surrounding West Hempstead.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<6> of West Hempstead.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 West Hempstead:

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

The official website for Nassau County: www.nassaucountyny.gov/

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 West Hempstead, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- West Hempstead) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Hempstead. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7051, Longitude: -73.6491    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025