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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 Montara (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 Montara. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

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

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Montara)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Moss Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • El Granada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairway Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Park
      • Fairway Park is located in San Mateo County
    • Pacifica
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Half Moon Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillsborough
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Millbrae
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • San Bruno
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Burlingame
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Highlands - Baywood Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Highlands
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Colma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colma
      • Colma is located in San Mateo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,689 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colma <1>
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Alameda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Russell City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Brookfield Village
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • Brooklyn ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • Fruitvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitvale
      • Fruitvale is located in Alameda County
      • Former names for Fruitvale:
      • Brays
      • Fruit Vale
    • Oakland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • West Oakland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oakland
      • West Oakland is located in Alameda County
    • Allendale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
      • Allendale is located in Alameda County
    • East Oakland ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Oakland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Oakland
      • East Oakland is located in Alameda County
    • Emeryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Havenscourt
      (23 miles [37 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 Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Easter Hill Village
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Atchison Village
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • Richmond
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • El Cerrito
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kensington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • East Richmond Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Moraga
      (29 miles [46.7 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>
    • Orinda Village
      (29 miles [46.7 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
      (29 miles [46.7 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>
    • Rollingwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollingwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollingwood
      • Rollingwood is located in Contra Costa County
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Sausalito
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Belvedere
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Fort McDowell
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • Marin City
      (22 miles [35.4 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Manzanita
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
      • Manzanita 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
    • Tiburon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bel Aire
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
      • Bel Aire is located in Marin County
    • Strawberry
      (24 miles [38.6 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
    • Mill Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Paradise Cay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Cay
      • Paradise Cay is located in Marin County
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
    • Doelger City
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
    • Friendship Village
      (16 miles [25.7 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
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (17 miles [27.4 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
    • Chinatown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 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 Montara, with the one closest to Montara listed first.
    • Stanford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Escondido Village
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ventura
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
    • Los Altos Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Castro City
      (24 miles [38.6 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Loyola
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Cupertino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Montara ...

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 134 newspapers that have been published in the area around Montara.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Montara. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Montara and those printed in the larger area surrounding Montara.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4> of Montara.

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 Montara:

Cemeteries Near Montara ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Montara.

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

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

  • Pilarcitos Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Skylawn Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 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>
  • Cypress Lawn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • Hills of Eternity Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home of Peace Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • Continue List   (41 more) ...
    • Chinese Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Greenlawn Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenlawn Cemetery

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

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

  • Half Moon Bay
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Millbrae
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • San Bruno
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Baden
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 Mateo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Belmont
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • San Carlos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Redwood City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • San Gregorio
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodside
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • San Francisco
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 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
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Fair Oaks
      (18 miles [29 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
    • Menlo Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Pescadero
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)

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

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

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Montara) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Montara. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5422, Longitude: -122.5138    
<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 Montara, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024