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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 Amherst (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 Amherst. 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 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.

Amherst is located in Marshall County.

To see how the shape of South Dakota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marshall County: Sargent (ND), Brown, Day & Roberts.

Below are the counties that are near Amherst. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Amherst:

  • Marshall County     (The home county of Amherst)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
    • West Britton ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Britton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Britton
      • West Britton is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,368 people
    • Spain
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spain
      • Spain is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 989 people
    • Britton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Britton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britton
      • Britton is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,256 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Britton <2>
    • Langford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kidder
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kidder
      • Kidder is located in Marshall County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 77 people
    • Newark
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Marshall County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 109 people
    • Lake City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
      • Lake City is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake City <2>
    • Eden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <2>
    • Hillhead
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillhead
      • Hillhead is located in Marshall County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 990 people
    • Marlow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
      • Marlow is located in Marshall County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 14 people
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
    • Claremont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Huffton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffton
      • Huffton is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 316 people
    • Hecla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hecla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hecla
      • Hecla is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hecla <2>
    • Houghton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Putney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putney
      • Putney is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
    • Columbia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
      • Columbia is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Columbia <2>
    • Tacoma Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoma Park
      • Tacoma Park is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 413 people
    • Groton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton
      • Groton is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,475 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groton <2>
    • James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for James have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
      • James is located in Brown County
    • Bath
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ordway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ordway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ordway
      • Ordway is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 306 people
    • Bath Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath Corner
      • Bath Corner is located in Brown County
    • Barnard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Day County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
    • Pierpont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierpont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
      • Pierpont is located in Day County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierpont <2>
    • Andover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Roslyn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roslyn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roslyn
      • Roslyn is located in Day County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roslyn <2>
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Bristol is located in Day County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bristol <2>
    • Holmquist
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmquist
      • Holmquist is located in Day County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 154 people
  • Dickey County (ND)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
    • Ludden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludden
      • Ludden is located in Dickey County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Guelph
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guelph
      • Guelph is located in Dickey County (ND)
    • Oakes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes
      • Oakes is located in Dickey County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,657 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakes <2>
    • Norway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Dickey County (ND)
  • Sargent County (ND)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
    • Brampton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brampton
      • Brampton is located in Sargent County (ND)
    • Havana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Havana is located in Sargent County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Havana <2>
    • Straubville ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straubville
      • Straubville is located in Sargent County (ND)
    • Cogswell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cogswell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cogswell
      • Cogswell is located in Sargent County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cogswell <2>
    • Forman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forman
      • Forman is located in Sargent County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forman <2>
    • Rutland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rutland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Rutland is located in Sargent County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rutland <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Amherst ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Amherst.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Amherst, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Amherst.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Amherst:

Cemeteries Near Amherst ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Amherst.

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

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

  • Amherst Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Free Mission Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Free Mission Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Free Mission Cemetery
  • Detroit Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Detroit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Detroit Cemetery
  • Britton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Augustana Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augustana Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augustana Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
  • St. Peter Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter Cemetery
  • Houghton Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Houghton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Houghton Cemetery
  • Homer Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Homer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Homer Cemetery
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
  • Hecla City Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • The Hecla City Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hecla Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hecla City Cemetery
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Falnes Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Falnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Falnes Cemetery
    • Brampton Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brampton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brampton Cemetery
    • Ft. Sisseton Post Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ft. Sisseton Post Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ft. Sisseton Post Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the southeast of Eden.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Sisseton Post Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2588639 <4>

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Amherst had a population of 96 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Claremont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Spain
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spain
    • Spain is located in Marshall County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 989 people
  • Britton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Britton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britton
    • Britton is located in Marshall County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,256 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Britton <2>
  • Langford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Huffton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huffton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffton
    • Huffton is located in Brown County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 316 people
  • Kidder
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kidder
    • Kidder is located in Marshall County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 77 people
  • Newark
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Newark is located in Marshall County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 109 people
  • Hecla
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hecla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hecla
    • Hecla is located in Brown County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hecla <2>
  • Houghton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Putney
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putney
    • Putney is located in Brown County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
  • Pierpont
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierpont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
    • Pierpont is located in Day County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierpont <2>
  • Brampton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brampton
    • Brampton is located in Sargent County (ND)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Columbia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
      • Columbia is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Columbia <2>
    • Groton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton
      • Groton is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,475 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groton <2>
    • Ludden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludden
      • Ludden is located in Dickey County (ND)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people

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

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

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Amherst) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Amherst. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.7379, Longitude: -97.9211    
<4>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.
<5>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.
<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 Amherst, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024