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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 La Purisima Concepcion (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 La Purisima Concepcion. 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 and doctors 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.

La Purisima Concepcion is located in Santa Clara County.

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

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

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

  • Santa Clara County     (The home county of La Purisima Concepcion)
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Purisima Concepcion, with the one closest to La Purisima Concepcion listed first.
    • Los Altos Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Los Altos
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Castro City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Loyola
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
    • Ventura
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Mountain View
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Escondido Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Stanford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sunnyvale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Palo Alto
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Cupertino
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rancho Rinconada
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rancho Rinconada is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Rinconada
    • Agnew
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Purisima Concepcion, with the one closest to La Purisima Concepcion listed first.
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
    • Newark
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fremont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fremont is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234,569 people
      • Former names for Fremont:
      • Centerville
      • Irvington
      • Mission San Jose
      • Niles
      • Warm Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Union City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
    • Mount Eden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Russell City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Sunol
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cherryland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
    • Hayward
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • San Lorenzo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Contra Costa County
    • San Ramon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Purisima Concepcion, with the one closest to La Purisima Concepcion listed first.
    • Ladera
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ladera is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera
    • West Menlo Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Portola Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • The Willows
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Menlo Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • East Palo Alto
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Atherton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodside
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Adobe Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
    • North Fair Oaks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • North Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fair Oaks
    • La Honda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Emerald Lake Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Emerald Lake Hills is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Lake Hills
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Purisima Concepcion, with the one closest to La Purisima Concepcion listed first.
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Boulder Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Brookdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Summit
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Summit is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit has also been known as:
      • Loma Prieta
    • Lompico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • Ben Lomond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Zayante
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
    • Glenwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Laurel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
    • Felton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Swanton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Swanton is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
    • The Willows
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • The Willows is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows

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

Cemeteries Near La Purisima Concepcion ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of La Purisima Concepcion.

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 La Purisima Concepcion - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Alta Mesa Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Gates of Heaven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Oakwood Community Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Community Cemetery
    • The Oakwood Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Convent Of The Sacred Heart Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Madronia Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Mission City Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Los Gatos Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedar Lawn Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Fremont.
    • The Cedar Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7892 <2>
  • Holy Ghost Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Irvington Memorial Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Anthony Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Oak Hill Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Mountain View
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mayfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
  • Palo Alto
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Menlo Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
  • Lawrence
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Lawrence is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
  • Woodside
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Fair Oaks
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Saratoga
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Clara
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Agnew
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
  • Alviso
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Redwood City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Campbell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • San Carlos
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in La Purisima Concepcion ...

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 121 newspapers that have been published in the area around La Purisima Concepcion.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of La Purisima Concepcion, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for La Purisima Concepcion.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to La Purisima Concepcion:

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 La Purisima Concepcion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- La Purisima Concepcion) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.