RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Dakota >> Aurora County >> Aurora Center >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
South Dakota

The Commemorative Quarter for South Dakota





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 Aurora Center (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 Aurora Center. 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 Aurora Center ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Aurora Center: Aurora Ctr. (or less commonly used: Aurora Cen., Aurora Cent. or Aurora Cntr.)

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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Aurora Center is located in Aurora 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 Aurora County: Brule, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Jerauld & Sanborn.

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

  • Aurora County     (The home county of Aurora Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aurora Center, with the one closest to Aurora Center listed first.
    • Stickney
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stickney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
      • Stickney is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stickney <2>
    • Plankinton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • White Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
      • White Lake is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <2>
    • Storla
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Storla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storla
      • Storla is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6 people
  • Brule County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aurora Center, with the one closest to Aurora Center listed first.
    • Kimball
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Eagle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Eagle is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
    • Lyonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
      • Lyonville is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
  • Charles Mix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aurora Center, with the one closest to Aurora Center listed first.
    • Platte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte
      • Platte is located in Charles Mix County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Platte <2>
    • Geddes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geddes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geddes
      • Geddes is located in Charles Mix County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geddes <2>
    • Lake Andes
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Andes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Andes
      • Lake Andes is located in Charles Mix County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 815 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Andes <2>
    • Academy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Academy
      • Academy is located in Charles Mix County
    • Platte Colony
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platte Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte Colony
      • Platte Colony is located in Charles Mix County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
    • Ravinia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ravinia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
      • Ravinia is located in Charles Mix County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ravinia <2>
  • Davison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aurora Center, with the one closest to Aurora Center listed first.
    • Mount Vernon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
      • Mount Vernon is located in Davison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Vernon <2>
    • River Bluff Addition
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for River Bluff Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Bluff Addition
      • River Bluff Addition is located in Davison County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
    • Ethan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Loomis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loomis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
      • Loomis is located in Davison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loomis <2>
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aurora Center, with the one closest to Aurora Center listed first.
    • New Holland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Harrison
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
      • Harrison is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrison <2>
    • Joubert
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joubert
      • Joubert is located in Douglas County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
    • Corsica
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corsica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corsica
      • Corsica is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corsica <2>
    • Douglas City ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Douglas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas City
      • Douglas City is located in Douglas County
    • Armour
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Armour have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
      • Armour is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Armour <2>
    • Hillside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Hillside is located in Douglas County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31 people
    • Delmont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmont
      • Delmont is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmont <2>
  • Hutchinson County
    • Dimock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dimock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dimock
      • Dimock is located in Hutchinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dimock <2>
  • Jerauld County
    • Crow Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Lake
      • Crow Lake is located in Jerauld County

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

Newspapers Published in Aurora Center ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Aurora Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Aurora Center, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Aurora Center.

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 either 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 Aurora Center:

Cemeteries Near Aurora Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Aurora Center.

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

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

  • Quaker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quaker Cemetery
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
  • Aurora Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aurora Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aurora Center Cemetery
  • Old St. Paul Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old St. Paul Cemetery
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrison Cemetery
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
  • New Holland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Holland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Holland Cemetery
  • Crystal Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crystal Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crystal Lake Cemetery
  • Silver Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Silver Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Silver Ridge Cemetery
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery
  • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...
    • Graceland Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Dudley Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dudley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dudley Cemetery
    • Rock Hill Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Hill 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.<4>

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

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

  • New Holland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Joubert
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joubert
    • Joubert is located in Douglas County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
  • Harrison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Harrison is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrison <2>
  • Grandview ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
    • Grandview is located in Douglas County
  • Plankinton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • White Lake
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
    • White Lake is located in Aurora County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <2>
  • Platte
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte
    • Platte is located in Charles Mix County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,257 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Platte <2>
  • Armour
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Armour have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armour
    • Armour is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Armour <2>
  • Mount Vernon
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
    • Mount Vernon is located in Davison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Vernon <2>
  • Kimball
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Eagle
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Eagle is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
  • Wheeler ‑ Historic
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Wheeler is located in Charles Mix County
  • Delmont
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmont
    • Delmont is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmont <2>
  • Bijou Hills
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bijou Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
    • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Aurora Center. 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 '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- Aurora Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Aurora Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.5269, Longitude: -98.5898       In this case, the coordinates for Aurora Center have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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 Aurora Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024