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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 Pedro Valley (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 Pedro Valley. 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.

Name Variations for Pedro Valley ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Pedro Valley: Pedro Vly. (or less commonly used: Pedro Vally. or Pedro Vlly.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and hospitals 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.

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

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Pedro Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Fairway Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Fairway Park is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Park
    • Pacifica
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Montara
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Moss Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • San Bruno
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillsborough
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Millbrae
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Broadmoor Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Broadmoor Village is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadmoor Village
    • Broadmoor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Broadmoor is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadmoor
    • Colma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Colma is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,689 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colma <1>
    • Daly City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • El Granada
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Alameda
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbell Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Campbell Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell Village
    • Brookfield Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Village
    • Brooklyn ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Brooklyn is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Former names for Brooklyn:
      • Antonio
      • Clinton
    • Fruitvale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fruitvale is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitvale
      • Former names for Fruitvale:
      • Brays
      • Fruit Vale
    • Oakland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • West Oakland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • West Oakland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oakland
    • Russell City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Allendale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Allendale is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
    • East Oakland ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • East Oakland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Oakland
    • Emeryville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Havenscourt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Havenscourt is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havenscourt
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Point Richmond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Atchison Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Atchison Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atchison Village
    • Easter Hill Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Easter Hill Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easter Hill Village
    • Nystrom Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Nystrom Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nystrom Village
    • El Cerrito
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kensington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Richmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Richmond is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110,038 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richmond <1>
    • East Richmond Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • East Richmond Heights is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Richmond Heights
    • San Pablo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Moraga
      (26 miles [41.8 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>
    • Orinda Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
    • Orinda
      (26 miles [41.8 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 Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Sausalito
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Belvedere
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Fort McDowell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Fort McDowell is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McDowell
    • Manzanita
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Manzanita is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
    • Marin City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Marin City is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marin City
    • Muir Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Tiburon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Strawberry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Strawberry is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
    • Tamalpais - Homestead Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Bel Aire
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bel Aire is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
    • Mill Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Paradise Cay
      (22 miles [35.4 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 Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
    • Doelger City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
    • Mission District
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Mission District is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission District
    • San Francisco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
    • Friendship Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
    • Chinatown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 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 Pedro Valley, with the one closest to Pedro Valley listed first.
    • Stanford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Escondido Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Palo Alto
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ventura
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Los Altos Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Castro City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Los Altos
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain View
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Loyola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
    • Sunnyvale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Pedro Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pedro Valley.

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 Pedro Valley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Russian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Golden Hill Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Cypress Lawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Lawn Cemetery
    • 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 Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7927 <2>
  • Hills of Eternity Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Serbian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbian Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Serbian Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Colma.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8362 <2>
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (43 more) ...
    • Olivet Memorial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Salem Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Italian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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 Pedro Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pedro Valley.

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

  • San Bruno
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Baden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Baden is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
  • Millbrae
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Half Moon Bay
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • San Mateo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Belmont
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • San Francisco
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • San Carlos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Redwood City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodside
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Fair Oaks
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Alameda
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Sausalito
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • San Gregorio
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville

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

Newspapers Published in Pedro Valley ...

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 207 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pedro Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pedro Valley, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pedro Valley.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Pedro Valley:

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 Pedro Valley, 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' (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- Pedro Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.