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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 De Smet (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 De Smet. 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 De Smet ...

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 have occurred.

Another variation: DeSmet.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

De Smet is located in Kingsbury County and is the County Seat.

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 Kingsbury County: Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Hamlin, Lake, Miner & Sanborn.

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

  • Kingsbury County     (The home county of De Smet)
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Lake Preston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Erwin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
      • Erwin is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>
    • Manchester
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
    • Bancroft
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
    • Esmond
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
      • Esmond is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
    • Iroquois
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iroquois have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iroquois
      • Iroquois is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iroquois <1>
    • Hetland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Osceola
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 90 people
    • Oldham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
      • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
    • Badger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Arlington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <1>
  • Beadle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Yale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Cavour
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cavour have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavour
      • Cavour is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cavour <1>
  • Brookings County
    • Sinai
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinai have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinai
      • Sinai is located in Brookings County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sinai <1>
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Success ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Success have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
      • Success is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 6,741 people
    • Willow Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Lake
      • Willow Lake is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Lake <1>
    • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pitrodie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pitrodie
      • Pitrodie is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 25 people
    • Vienna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vienna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
      • Vienna is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vienna <1>
    • Carpenter
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Naples
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
      • Naples is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Merton ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merton
      • Merton is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 55 people
  • Hamlin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Bryant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lake Norden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Alsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alsville
      • Alsville is located in Hamlin County
    • Hayti
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayti
      • Hayti is located in Hamlin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayti <1>
    • Hazel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel
      • Hazel is located in Hamlin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hazel <1>
    • Stone Bridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stone Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Bridge
      • Stone Bridge is located in Hamlin County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 105 people
    • Thomas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
      • Thomas is located in Hamlin County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 290 people
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Ramona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona
      • Ramona is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ramona <1>
    • Winfred
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfred have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfred
      • Winfred is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winfred <1>
    • Junius
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junius
      • Junius is located in Lake County
    • Nunda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nunda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunda
      • Nunda is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunda <1>
  • Miner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Smet, with the one closest to De Smet listed first.
    • Carthage
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Howard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Vilas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vilas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Vilas is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
    • Roswell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roswell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Fedora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of De Smet ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around De Smet.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of De Smet. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of De Smet and those printed in the larger area surrounding De Smet.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3> of De Smet.

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 De Smet:

Cemeteries Near De Smet ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of De Smet.

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

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

  • De Smet Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the De Smet Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of De Smet.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the De Smet Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #96912 <4>
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
  • Spirt Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spirt Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spirt Lake Cemetery
  • Lake Preston Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Preston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Preston Cemetery
  • Dow Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Erwin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Odden Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Bethania Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Clara Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • LeSueur Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the LeSueur Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the LeSueur Cemetery
  • Hinderlie Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Esmond Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (80 more) ...
    • United Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the United Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the United Cemetery
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Oldham Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oldham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oldham Cemetery

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that De Smet had a population of 541 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, De Smet had a population of 1,057 people.

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

  • Lake Preston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Erwin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
    • Erwin is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>
  • Manchester
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Manchester is located in Kingsbury County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
  • Success ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Success have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
    • Success is located in Clark County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 6,741 people
  • Bancroft
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
    • Bancroft is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
  • Esmond
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
    • Esmond is located in Kingsbury County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
  • Bryant
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Iroquois
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iroquois have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iroquois
    • Iroquois is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iroquois <1>
  • Hetland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Osceola
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Osceola is located in Kingsbury County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 90 people
  • Carthage
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Oldham
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
    • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Willow Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Lake
      • Willow Lake is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Lake <1>
    • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pitrodie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pitrodie
      • Pitrodie is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 25 people
    • Arlington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <1>

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

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

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

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- De Smet) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in De Smet. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.3865, Longitude: -97.5508    
<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>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 De Smet, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024