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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 Miramar (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 Miramar. 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 hospitals 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.

Miramar is located in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County: Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara & Santa Cruz.

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

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Miramar)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • El Granada
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Half Moon Bay
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Moss Beach
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Montara
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Highlands - Baywood Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Highlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Highlands is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlands
    • Hillsborough
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Belmont
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Laurel
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Laurel is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Fairway Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Fairway Park is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Park
    • Burlingame
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Martins Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Martins Beach is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Beach
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • Russell City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Mount Eden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newark
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Alameda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Village
    • San Leandro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • San Lorenzo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Campbell Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell Village
    • Ashland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Brooklyn ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Brooklyn is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Former names for Brooklyn:
      • Antonio
      • Clinton
    • Cherryland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • Moraga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Moraga is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moraga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,967 people
      • Former name for Moraga:
      • Willow Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moraga <1>
    • Atchison Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Atchison Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atchison Village
    • Easter Hill Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Easter Hill Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easter Hill Village
    • El Cerrito
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Kensington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Nystrom Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Nystrom Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nystrom Village
    • Point Richmond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Orinda Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
    • Orinda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Orinda is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orinda <1>
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • Fort McDowell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Fort McDowell is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McDowell
    • Sausalito
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Belvedere
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Manzanita
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Manzanita is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
    • Marin City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Marin City is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marin City
    • Muir Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Tiburon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Tamalpais - Homestead Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Bel Aire
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bel Aire is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
    • Mill Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Strawberry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Strawberry is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
    • Paradise Cay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Paradise Cay is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Cay
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
    • Doelger City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
    • Mission District
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Mission District is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission District
    • Friendship Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
    • San Francisco
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
    • Chinatown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Sydney Town is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydney Town
  • Santa Clara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Miramar, with the one closest to Miramar listed first.
    • Stanford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Escondido Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Palo Alto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Ventura
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Los Altos Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Castro City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Los Altos
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Mountain View
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Loyola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
    • Sunnyvale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Alviso
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Cupertino
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Miramar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Miramar.

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 Miramar - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pilarcitos Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Skylawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Russian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (46 more) ...
    • Golden Hill Memorial Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      • 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 Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8038 <2>
    • Hoy Sun Memorial Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 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.<3>

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

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

  • Half Moon Bay
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Belmont
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • San Mateo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Millbrae
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • San Bruno
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • San Carlos
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Baden
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Baden is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
  • Woodside
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • San Gregorio
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Redwood City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
  • Fair Oaks
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Menlo Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Pescadero
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Mayfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield

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

Newspapers Published in Miramar ...

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 Miramar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Miramar, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Miramar.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Miramar:

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 Miramar, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Miramar) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.