California, San Mateo Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California San Mateo County

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of images of cemetery records from the Sunset Cemetery in San Mateo for the years 1901 to 1948.

Collection Contents
The records usually contain the following:


 * Date of recording
 * Name of deceased
 * Birth place
 * Age
 * Burial Date
 * Name of Cemetery
 * Grave number
 * Remarks

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know the following:


 * The person’s name
 * The approximate burial or death date

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Surname Range' category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
Once you have located your ancestor’s burial record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Burial records are often brief so it can be easy confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person.

Next, look at the pieces of information given in the burial record for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records.
 * Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records.
 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries.

Related Websites

 * San Mateo County Cemetery Records
 * Find A Grave
 * The Tombstone Transcription Project of California
 * Colma Historical Association Cemetery Links

Related Wiki Articles

 * California
 * California, San Mateo County, Colma, Italian Cemetery Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * San Mateo County, California Genealogy
 * California Cemeteries
 * California Cemetery Transcriptions (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Death Index, 1905-1939 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Vital Records

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: