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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Purisima. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Purisima to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Purisima, please Contact Us.

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 Purisima (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 Purisima. 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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Purisima is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Purisima. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Purisima:

  • San Mateo County     (The home county of Purisima)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purisima, with the one closest to Purisima listed first.
    • Martins Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Martins Beach is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Beach
    • Half Moon Bay
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • San Gregorio
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • El Granada
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Adobe Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
    • Woodside
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Highlands
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Highlands is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlands
    • Portola Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • Emerald Lake Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Emerald Lake Hills is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Lake Hills
    • Highlands - Baywood Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • La Honda
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purisima, with the one closest to Purisima listed first.
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Newark
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
    • Mount Eden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Russell City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • San Lorenzo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Union City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 <2>
    • Ashland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cherryland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
    • Fremont
      (25 miles [40.2 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 <2>
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purisima, with the one closest to Purisima listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
    • Doelger City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
    • Mission District
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Mission District is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission District
    • Friendship Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
    • San Francisco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
    • Chinatown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 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 Purisima, with the one closest to Purisima listed first.
    • Stanford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Escondido Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Los Altos Hills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Palo Alto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ventura
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Los Altos
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Castro City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Loyola
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
    • Mountain View
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Sunnyvale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Cupertino
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Champagne Fountain
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Champagne Fountain is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champagne Fountain
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purisima, with the one closest to Purisima listed first.
    • Boulder Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Swanton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Swanton is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
    • Brookdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Ben Lomond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonny Doon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Davenport Landing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Davenport Landing is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport Landing
    • Lompico
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • Davenport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
    • Summit
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Zayante
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante

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

Cemeteries Near Purisima ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purisima.

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

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

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

  • Pilarcitos Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Skylawn Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Oakwood Community Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Community Cemetery
    • The Oakwood Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Convent Of The Sacred Heart Cemetery
  • Alta Mesa Memorial Park
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Orange Memorial Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (45 more) ...
    • Chinese Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 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 <3>
    • Cypress Lawn Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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 <3>

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.

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

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

  • Half Moon Bay
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • San Gregorio
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Woodside
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
  • Pescadero
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Belmont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Redwood City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • San Carlos
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • San Mateo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fair Oaks
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Menlo Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Millbrae
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mayfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Palo Alto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • San Bruno
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Purisima ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Purisima.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Purisima, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Purisima.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Purisima:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Purisima, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Purisima) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.