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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 Bancroft (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 Bancroft. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Bancroft is located in Kingsbury 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 Kingsbury County: Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Hamlin, Lake, Miner & Sanborn.

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

  • Kingsbury County     (The home county of Bancroft)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Osceola
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Osceola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 90 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Osceola
      • From Bancroft to Osceola
    • Manchester
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Iroquois
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • De Smet
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Erwin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • 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 <3>
    • Esmond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Lake Preston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Badger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Hetland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Oldham
      (28 miles [45.1 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 <3>
  • Beadle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Yale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Cavour
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <3>
    • Huron Colony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huron Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron Colony
      • Huron Colony is located in Beadle County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 403 people
    • Morningside
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Huron
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Broadland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 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
    • Success ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 <3>
    • Carpenter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Merton ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Vienna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Naples
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Clark
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Elrod
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elrod have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
      • Elrod is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 92 people
    • Raymond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <3>
  • Codington County
  • Hamlin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bancroft, with the one closest to Bancroft listed first.
    • Bryant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hazel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 <3>
    • Lake Norden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hayti
      (29 miles [46.7 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 <3>
  • Miner County

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

Cemeteries Near Bancroft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bancroft.

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

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

  • LeSueur Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the LeSueur Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Faith Mennonite Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Dixon Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dixon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dixon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spirt Lake Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spirt Lake Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Collins Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Petrodie Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Williams Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dow Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • De Smet Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hague Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hague Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hague Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (78 more) ...
    • Erwin Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Richland Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richland Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Bancroft had a population of 158 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bancroft had a population of 19 people.

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

  • Osceola
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Osceola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Osceola is located in Kingsbury County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 90 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Osceola
    • From Bancroft to Osceola
  • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 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
  • Manchester
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Iroquois
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Success ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 <3>
  • Yale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • De Smet
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Esmond
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Erwin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • 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 <3>
  • Bryant
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Sheffield
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheffield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield
    • Sheffield is located in Beadle County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cavour
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <3>
    • Carlton ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
      • Carlton is located in Clark County
    • Merton ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • 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

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

Newspapers Published in Bancroft ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bancroft.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bancroft, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bancroft.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Bancroft:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bancroft) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bancroft. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4892, Longitude: -97.7499       In this case, the coordinates for Bancroft have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Bancroft, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025