Dayna Chalif is a family history researcher and volunteer, well known for her efforts and contributions within San Mateo County. She has been invaluable to many family researchers due to her tombstone photography and cemetery transcriptions. Dayna has been a resident of Half Moon Bay (HMB) for 7 years. Aside from her genealogy work, Dayna is a licensed marriage and family therapist (again, showing just how much she adores helping others), mother of two and wife of 14 years. I was lucky enough to get Dayna to take some time out of her schedule during this holiday season to be interviewed for the Wandering Graveyard Rabbit.
I just want to start off this interview by sort of telling you some news that you/your acts of genealogy kindness is responsible for… Maybe 5 yrs ago you took a tombstone picture for me of a Joaquin Muniz born in the 1800's- at the time I could not place him but I knew for fact he was a relation based on his parents surnames (Beauchamp y Muniz and Gusman). I held on to that photo for years. Eventually I was contacted by Joaquin’s GG Granddaughter because she saw that photo on my blog! Asit turns out, Juaquin is my 2nd Great Grand Uncle. This puzzle piece would never have been properly placed if it were not for you Dayna.
Thanks so much for sharing this story with me. I love it when things like this happen! I've certainly hit my own brick walls over the years, so it's always nice to hear that something I did helped someone break through theirs. I love it when someone sends me an email saying thanks for my cemetery transcriptions and telling me how my work helped them, it just makes my day.
Q: I have said this before to you a million times: your work is a blessing to so many San Mateo County families researching their ancestry. You have done a lot of cemetery transcription, photography and volunteer work in general. How did you get started and why?
A: I come by my interest in genealogy and history from my dad, who (for fun) once made a gigantic family tree of US presidents. ( : When I moved to HMB, I was struck by the rich history of the town. Many descendants of the original families that settled here in the 1800s are still here. I've always been attracted to old cemeteries, because so much about the history of a town can be learned just by wandering around and reading the gravestones. I transcribed the old cemeteries in HMB as a favor to my fellow genealogists, none of whom I knew at the time. I've been helped countless times with my own family research by the kindness of strangers all over the world. I like to "pay it forward" and help others where I can.
Q: How many cemeteries are actually in Half Moon Bay?
A: There are 4 cemeteries in HMB: Pilarcitos and Oddfellows (IOOF) you can see as you drive into town on Highway 92, Our Lady of the Pillar is in a quiet little nook downtown, and Purissima, which is just south of town. It should be said, however, that when burials began at Purissima, it was not a part of HMB. Purissima was it's own little town, that has since disappeared and the land itself has become a part of HMB.
Q: What is the oldest cemetery in Half Moon Bay? What is the earliest burial you have found?
A: I think it'd be a tie between Pilarcitos and Purissima. I found a broken stone for a French immigrant in the IOOF Cemetery from 1861, which I think is the oldest. I do wonder if the stone was brought from Pilarcitos Cemetery (which is just next door), because the IOOF burials are generally later than that.
Q: Are you ever surprised by information you find about abandoned cemeteries in HMB or their interns?
A: What surprises me the most is the sad condition of the older cemeteries. So many of the pioneers and founders of our town were laid to rest here and I just think they deserve more respect than to be in cemeteries that are in such bad shape.
Q: In 2005, you transcribed the existing gravestones in the “forgotten” Purissima Cemetery- can you tell how this came about?
A: I remember reading a book about the history of HMB and it mentioned the cemetery, which I'd never seen or heard of. This, of course, peaked my interest and I asked around town and eventually found out where it was located. The interesting thing is, that I'd driven by it many times, and because of the overgrowth of plants, I had no idea there was a cemetery there.
Q: Can you tell me your theories as to why Purissima became a ghost town?
A: Books I've read say that a few things led to the downfall of Purissima. The logging industry began to slide, HMB (then called Spanishtown) grew into a larger town and was easier to reach, and a number of influential community leaders died in a few years time.
Q: Who/when was the first and last burial at Purissima?
A: The last one was more recent than you'd imagine, Elizabeth Bower Young in 2001. I believe it is probably cremains, due to the difficulty in getting a coffin into the cemetery, but I don't know the story behind it. Before Ms. Young, the last burial was in the 1950s. This gravestone is one that tells a good story. Ms. Young, who lived to be 80 years old, has a standard military marker, which tells us that she was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade in the Navy during WWII. Can you imagine the stories she could have told? In addition, she's buried next to a woman named Gertrude Pitcher Young. I did a little research and found out that Gertrude was Elizabeth's mother-in-law, and Elizabeth's husband (Gertrude's son) is buried elsewhere. So these two women must have had a special relationship for someone to take the trouble to come into this cemetery years after it was abandoned so that they could be buried together.
Q: I have to ask… what do you make of all the “haunted” Purissima cemetery stories? I have read a lot about paranormal groups who visit and swear it is haunted. I work on a supposedly haunted Naval ship myself (the USS Hornet) during the weekend and these stories are always intriguing to me.
A: I have corresponded with some of these folks as well, very interesting stuff! I've been in other cemeteries and definitely felt strong negative, scary or what some might call haunted energy. But Purissima is, to me, one of the most beautiful and serene cemeteries I've ever been in. I've never felt any "haunted" energy there, but that's just me.
Q: One of the many things about Purissima (which I noticed from your transcriptions) is the amount of German immigrants interned there. This was surprising because HMB is usually associated with Spanish immigrants. Do you have anything to add in regards to European settlers in HMB?
A: If you walk all of the cemeteries in HMB, you'll find all kinds of immigrants: French, Irish, German, Portuguese, in addition to the Spanish. Like most of the US, I guess that early HMB was a melting pot of immigrants. The Portuguese community continues to be strong in HMB, we even have the oldest Holy Ghost (Chamarita) festival in the US, and it's so much fun to watch the parade with the little girls all dressed up.
Q: Do you have any other “little known” facts of HMB and its early residents?
A: What we know as downtown HMB today used to be mostly a residential section of town. The fire house, which is now located at the end of Main Street, on the south end of town, used to be right across from Cunha's Country Store at Kelly & Main. You can wander around downtown and see many of the original bulidings and homes. Robert Knapp, who is buried at the IOOF cemetery, invented the side-hill plow, which was an important innovation for farming in HMB. And I love the story of James and Petra Johnston, whose beautiful home has been restored and sits on a hill at the south end of town. She was 19 when they married and only 27 when she died in 1861. I like to think of her, a young mother and wife, opening the door of her house and looking out at the wide ocean, much the same as I do today.
Q: Half Moon Bay is rich with interesting history. My own family journey began in Puerto Rico to Hawaii and then settled in Half Moon Bay/Pescadero/San Gregorio. Can you tell us a little about your family journey and how they ended up in HMB?
A: I'm originally from Los Angeles. When my husband and I moved to the Bay Area, we first settled in San Mateo, but we'd come over to HMB all the time to fantasize about living here. After a few years, we found a perfect little place in HMB and the rest is history! I absolutely love this town.
Q: Outside of your HMB research, I know you are an avid genealogist. What is your personal ancestry? Where does it begin?
A: My family came to the US from Ukraine, Poland and Belarus in the early 1900s to escape the terrible persecution of Jews that had been going on for centuries in Eastern Europe. They settled in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and other east coast cities, and my parents eventually made their way to California.
Q: Is there anything or one you personally are researching and hit a brick wall with? Maybe someone one of us can do some searching for you and return the favor!
A: Unfortunately, I hit a lot of brick walls with my European research, so much of the paper trail was destroyed in the war and Jewish immigrants were notorious for changing their surnames to something "more American," so many of the original surnames are lost. My Lemelman family from Golshany, Belarus is my "holy grail." But I think I need to make a trip out there to actually get anywhere. However, there must certainly be Lemelmans here in the US, although I've tried to make connections, I've not been able to.
Good luck to you Dayna in all of your genealogy endevors! Your work is much appriciated!
Interview with Dayna by Dolores Antolin y Muniz, aka the Wandering Graveyard Rabbit
I just want to start off this interview by sort of telling you some news that you/your acts of genealogy kindness is responsible for… Maybe 5 yrs ago you took a tombstone picture for me of a Joaquin Muniz born in the 1800's- at the time I could not place him but I knew for fact he was a relation based on his parents surnames (Beauchamp y Muniz and Gusman). I held on to that photo for years. Eventually I was contacted by Joaquin’s GG Granddaughter because she saw that photo on my blog! Asit turns out, Juaquin is my 2nd Great Grand Uncle. This puzzle piece would never have been properly placed if it were not for you Dayna.
Thanks so much for sharing this story with me. I love it when things like this happen! I've certainly hit my own brick walls over the years, so it's always nice to hear that something I did helped someone break through theirs. I love it when someone sends me an email saying thanks for my cemetery transcriptions and telling me how my work helped them, it just makes my day.
Q: I have said this before to you a million times: your work is a blessing to so many San Mateo County families researching their ancestry. You have done a lot of cemetery transcription, photography and volunteer work in general. How did you get started and why?
A: I come by my interest in genealogy and history from my dad, who (for fun) once made a gigantic family tree of US presidents. ( : When I moved to HMB, I was struck by the rich history of the town. Many descendants of the original families that settled here in the 1800s are still here. I've always been attracted to old cemeteries, because so much about the history of a town can be learned just by wandering around and reading the gravestones. I transcribed the old cemeteries in HMB as a favor to my fellow genealogists, none of whom I knew at the time. I've been helped countless times with my own family research by the kindness of strangers all over the world. I like to "pay it forward" and help others where I can.
Q: How many cemeteries are actually in Half Moon Bay?
A: There are 4 cemeteries in HMB: Pilarcitos and Oddfellows (IOOF) you can see as you drive into town on Highway 92, Our Lady of the Pillar is in a quiet little nook downtown, and Purissima, which is just south of town. It should be said, however, that when burials began at Purissima, it was not a part of HMB. Purissima was it's own little town, that has since disappeared and the land itself has become a part of HMB.
Q: What is the oldest cemetery in Half Moon Bay? What is the earliest burial you have found?
A: I think it'd be a tie between Pilarcitos and Purissima. I found a broken stone for a French immigrant in the IOOF Cemetery from 1861, which I think is the oldest. I do wonder if the stone was brought from Pilarcitos Cemetery (which is just next door), because the IOOF burials are generally later than that.
Q: Are you ever surprised by information you find about abandoned cemeteries in HMB or their interns?
A: What surprises me the most is the sad condition of the older cemeteries. So many of the pioneers and founders of our town were laid to rest here and I just think they deserve more respect than to be in cemeteries that are in such bad shape.
Q: In 2005, you transcribed the existing gravestones in the “forgotten” Purissima Cemetery- can you tell how this came about?
A: I remember reading a book about the history of HMB and it mentioned the cemetery, which I'd never seen or heard of. This, of course, peaked my interest and I asked around town and eventually found out where it was located. The interesting thing is, that I'd driven by it many times, and because of the overgrowth of plants, I had no idea there was a cemetery there.
Q: Can you tell me your theories as to why Purissima became a ghost town?
A: Books I've read say that a few things led to the downfall of Purissima. The logging industry began to slide, HMB (then called Spanishtown) grew into a larger town and was easier to reach, and a number of influential community leaders died in a few years time.
Q: Who/when was the first and last burial at Purissima?
A: The last one was more recent than you'd imagine, Elizabeth Bower Young in 2001. I believe it is probably cremains, due to the difficulty in getting a coffin into the cemetery, but I don't know the story behind it. Before Ms. Young, the last burial was in the 1950s. This gravestone is one that tells a good story. Ms. Young, who lived to be 80 years old, has a standard military marker, which tells us that she was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade in the Navy during WWII. Can you imagine the stories she could have told? In addition, she's buried next to a woman named Gertrude Pitcher Young. I did a little research and found out that Gertrude was Elizabeth's mother-in-law, and Elizabeth's husband (Gertrude's son) is buried elsewhere. So these two women must have had a special relationship for someone to take the trouble to come into this cemetery years after it was abandoned so that they could be buried together.
Q: I have to ask… what do you make of all the “haunted” Purissima cemetery stories? I have read a lot about paranormal groups who visit and swear it is haunted. I work on a supposedly haunted Naval ship myself (the USS Hornet) during the weekend and these stories are always intriguing to me.
A: I have corresponded with some of these folks as well, very interesting stuff! I've been in other cemeteries and definitely felt strong negative, scary or what some might call haunted energy. But Purissima is, to me, one of the most beautiful and serene cemeteries I've ever been in. I've never felt any "haunted" energy there, but that's just me.
Q: One of the many things about Purissima (which I noticed from your transcriptions) is the amount of German immigrants interned there. This was surprising because HMB is usually associated with Spanish immigrants. Do you have anything to add in regards to European settlers in HMB?
A: If you walk all of the cemeteries in HMB, you'll find all kinds of immigrants: French, Irish, German, Portuguese, in addition to the Spanish. Like most of the US, I guess that early HMB was a melting pot of immigrants. The Portuguese community continues to be strong in HMB, we even have the oldest Holy Ghost (Chamarita) festival in the US, and it's so much fun to watch the parade with the little girls all dressed up.
Q: Do you have any other “little known” facts of HMB and its early residents?
A: What we know as downtown HMB today used to be mostly a residential section of town. The fire house, which is now located at the end of Main Street, on the south end of town, used to be right across from Cunha's Country Store at Kelly & Main. You can wander around downtown and see many of the original bulidings and homes. Robert Knapp, who is buried at the IOOF cemetery, invented the side-hill plow, which was an important innovation for farming in HMB. And I love the story of James and Petra Johnston, whose beautiful home has been restored and sits on a hill at the south end of town. She was 19 when they married and only 27 when she died in 1861. I like to think of her, a young mother and wife, opening the door of her house and looking out at the wide ocean, much the same as I do today.
Q: Half Moon Bay is rich with interesting history. My own family journey began in Puerto Rico to Hawaii and then settled in Half Moon Bay/Pescadero/San Gregorio. Can you tell us a little about your family journey and how they ended up in HMB?
A: I'm originally from Los Angeles. When my husband and I moved to the Bay Area, we first settled in San Mateo, but we'd come over to HMB all the time to fantasize about living here. After a few years, we found a perfect little place in HMB and the rest is history! I absolutely love this town.
Q: Outside of your HMB research, I know you are an avid genealogist. What is your personal ancestry? Where does it begin?
A: My family came to the US from Ukraine, Poland and Belarus in the early 1900s to escape the terrible persecution of Jews that had been going on for centuries in Eastern Europe. They settled in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and other east coast cities, and my parents eventually made their way to California.
Q: Is there anything or one you personally are researching and hit a brick wall with? Maybe someone one of us can do some searching for you and return the favor!
A: Unfortunately, I hit a lot of brick walls with my European research, so much of the paper trail was destroyed in the war and Jewish immigrants were notorious for changing their surnames to something "more American," so many of the original surnames are lost. My Lemelman family from Golshany, Belarus is my "holy grail." But I think I need to make a trip out there to actually get anywhere. However, there must certainly be Lemelmans here in the US, although I've tried to make connections, I've not been able to.
Good luck to you Dayna in all of your genealogy endevors! Your work is much appriciated!
Interview with Dayna by Dolores Antolin y Muniz, aka the Wandering Graveyard Rabbit
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