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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 Hillsborough (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 Hillsborough. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

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

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Hillsborough)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Burlingame
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Millbrae
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • San Mateo
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Highlands - Baywood Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • San Bruno
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Highlands
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Laurel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Laurel is located in San Mateo County
    • South San Francisco
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Belmont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Foster City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Fairway Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Park
      • Fairway Park is located in San Mateo County
    • El Granada
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Russell City
      (14 miles [22.5 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
    • Mount Eden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Alameda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield Village
      (15 miles [24.1 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
    • San Lorenzo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Campbell Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell Village
      • Campbell Village is located in Alameda County
    • Ashland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Brooklyn ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Alameda County
      • Former names for Brooklyn:
      • Antonio
      • Clinton
    • Cherryland
      (16 miles [25.7 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
    • Fruitvale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitvale
      • Fruitvale is located in Alameda County
      • Former names for Fruitvale:
      • Brays
      • Fruit Vale
    • Havenscourt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havenscourt
      • Havenscourt is located in Alameda County
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Moraga
      (22 miles [35.4 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>
    • El Cerrito
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Kensington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Orinda Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orinda Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • Orinda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda
      • Orinda is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orinda <1>
    • Atchison Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atchison Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atchison Village
      • Atchison Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • Easter Hill Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easter Hill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easter Hill Village
      • Easter Hill Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • Nystrom Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nystrom Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nystrom Village
      • Nystrom Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • Point Richmond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • East Richmond Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Richmond Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Richmond Heights
      • East Richmond Heights is located in Contra Costa County
    • Richmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Richmond is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110,038 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richmond <1>
    • Lafayette
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Fort McDowell
      (20 miles [32.2 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Belvedere
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Marin City
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Tiburon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Manzanita
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
      • Manzanita is located in Marin County
    • Muir Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bel Aire
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
      • Bel Aire is located in Marin County
    • Paradise Cay
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Cay
      • Paradise Cay is located in Marin County
    • Strawberry
      (23 miles [37 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
    • Tamalpais - Homestead Valley
      (23 miles [37 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
    • Mill Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
    • San Francisco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (14 miles [22.5 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
    • Doelger City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Chinatown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Hillsborough, with the one closest to Hillsborough listed first.
    • Escondido Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ventura
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
    • Los Altos Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Castro City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Loyola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Sunnyvale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cupertino
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Hillsborough ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hillsborough.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hillsborough, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hillsborough.

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 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 Hillsborough:

Cemeteries Near Hillsborough ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hillsborough.

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

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

  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Skylawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Pilarcitos Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Cypress Lawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cypress Lawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Colma.
    • The Cypress Lawn Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cypress Lawn Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7927 <5>
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chinese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chinese Cemetery
  • Russian Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russian Cemetery
  • Golden Hill Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Hoy Sun Memorial Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (59 more) ...
    • Serbian Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Olivet Memorial Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hills of Eternity Memorial Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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>

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

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

  • Millbrae
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • San Mateo
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • San Bruno
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Belmont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Baden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • San Carlos
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Half Moon Bay
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Redwood City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodside
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fair Oaks
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Menlo Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • San Francisco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Palo Alto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Eden
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Hillsborough. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hillsborough.

The official website for Hillsborough: www.hillsborough.net/

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hillsborough) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Hillsborough. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5740, Longitude: -122.3798    
<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 Hillsborough, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024