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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 Half Moon Bay (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 Half Moon Bay. 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 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.

Half Moon Bay is located in San Mateo County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of San Mateo County: Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara & Santa Cruz.

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

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Half Moon Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • El Granada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Highlands - Baywood Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Highlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlands
      • Highlands is located in San Mateo County
    • Montara
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Moss Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Martins Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Beach
      • Martins Beach is located in San Mateo County
    • Hillsborough
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Belmont
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Laurel
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Laurel is located in San Mateo County
    • Adobe Corner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
    • Emerald Lake Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emerald Lake Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Lake Hills
      • Emerald Lake Hills is located in San Mateo County
    • Millbrae
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Burlingame
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • Russell City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvarado. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
    • Mount Eden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newark
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • San Lorenzo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Larkins Landing. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
    • Alameda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Ashland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Village
      • Brookfield Village is located in Alameda County
    • Cherryland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherryland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
    • Hayward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • San Leandro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Union City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
  • Contra Costa County
    • Moraga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moraga
      • Moraga is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,967 people
      • Former name for Moraga:
      • Willow Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moraga <1>
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • Fort McDowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort McDowell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McDowell
      • Fort McDowell is located in Marin County
    • Sausalito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Belvedere
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Marin City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marin City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marin City
      • Marin City is located in Marin County
    • Muir Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Tiburon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Manzanita
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
      • Manzanita is located in Marin County
    • Tamalpais - Homestead Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tamalpais - Homestead Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamalpais - Homestead Valley
      • Tamalpais - Homestead Valley is located in Marin County
    • Bel Aire
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
      • Bel Aire is located in Marin County
    • Strawberry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
      • Strawberry is located in Marin County
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
    • Doelger City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doelger City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amanico Ergina Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
    • Friendship Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
    • San Francisco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Chinatown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sydney Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydney Town
      • Sydney Town is located in San Francisco County
  • Santa Clara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • Stanford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Escondido Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Escondido Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
    • Palo Alto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Ventura
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
    • Los Altos Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Castro City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castro City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
    • Los Altos
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Loyola
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loyola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
    • Mountain View
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Sunnyvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Cupertino
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rancho Rinconada
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Rinconada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Rinconada
      • Rancho Rinconada is located in Santa Clara County
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Half Moon Bay, with the one closest to Half Moon Bay listed first.
    • Boulder Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Swanton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
      • Swanton is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Brookdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Half Moon Bay ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Half Moon Bay.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Half Moon Bay. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Half Moon Bay and those printed in the larger area surrounding Half Moon Bay.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Half Moon Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Half Moon Bay:

Cemeteries Near Half Moon Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Half Moon Bay.

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 Half Moon Bay covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
  • Pilarcitos Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilarcitos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilarcitos Cemetery
  • Skylawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Golden Gate National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Golden Gate National Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Oakwood Community Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • The Oakwood Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Convent Of The Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Community Cemetery
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orange Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Memorial Park
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony Cemetery
  • Golden Hill Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (45 more) ...
    • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Colma.
      • The Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Holy Cross Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8038 <5>
    • Hoy Sun Memorial Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Serbian Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Half Moon Bay had a population of 784 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Half Moon Bay had a population of 12,513 people.

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

  • Belmont
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • San Gregorio
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • San Carlos
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • San Mateo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Millbrae
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Woodside
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
  • Redwood City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • San Bruno
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Baden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
    • Baden is located in San Mateo County
  • Menlo Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Fair Oaks
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Pescadero
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mayfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
    • Palo Alto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)

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

The official website for Half Moon Bay: www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/

The official website for San Mateo County: www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

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 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.
<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>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- Half Moon Bay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Half Moon Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4641, Longitude: -122.4341    
<5>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.
<6>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 Half Moon Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024