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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 Bristol (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 Bristol. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Bristol is located in Day 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 Day County: Brown, Clark, Codington, Grant, Marshall, Roberts & Spink.

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

  • Day County     (The home county of Bristol)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Holmquist
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmquist
      • Holmquist is located in Day County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 154 people
    • Butler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
      • Butler is located in Day County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people
    • Andover
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Webster
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Pierpont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Lily
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
      • Lily is located in Day County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
    • Roslyn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Crandall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crandall
      • Crandall is located in Day County
    • Grenville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grenville
      • Grenville is located in Day County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grenville <2>
    • Waubay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Ferney
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Groton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Verdon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verdon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
      • Verdon is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5 people
    • James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Randolph
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolph have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Brown County
    • Huffton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Claremont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Putney
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putney
      • Putney is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
    • Tacoma Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoma Park
      • Tacoma Park is located in Brown County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 413 people
    • Stratford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratford <2>
    • Bath Corner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath Corner
      • Bath Corner is located in Brown County
    • Bath
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Crocker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Bradley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Garden City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garden City <2>
  • Codington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Wallace
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wallace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
      • Wallace is located in Codington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallace <2>
    • Florence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Codington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <2>
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Langford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Spain
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Eden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Amherst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Britton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Lake City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Roberts County
    • Ortley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortley
      • Ortley is located in Roberts County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortley <2>
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Conde
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Turton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turton
      • Turton is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turton <2>
    • Brentford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brentford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentford
      • Brentford is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brentford <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bristol ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bristol.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bristol. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bristol and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bristol.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Bristol.

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 Bristol:

Cemeteries Near Bristol ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bristol.

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

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

  • Bethany Evangelical Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Evangelical Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Evangelical Cemetery
  • Prairie Mound Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Mound Cemetery
  • New Sweden Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Sweden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Sweden Cemetery
  • Bergen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bergen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bergen Cemetery
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 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
  • Tabor Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabor Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabor Lutheran Cemetery
  • Andover Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Andover Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Andover Cemetery
  • All Saints Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
  • Skudesnes Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Skudesnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Skudesnes Cemetery
  • Scotland Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scotland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scotland Cemetery
  • St. Otto's Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Otto's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Otto's Cemetery
  • Continue List   (60 more) ...
    • Webster Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Webster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Webster Cemetery
    • Hanson Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanson Cemetery
    • St. Ansgaar Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Ansgaar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Ansgaar 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bristol had a population of 199 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bristol had a population of 303 people.

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

  • Butler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
    • Butler is located in Day County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people
  • Andover
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lily
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
    • Lily is located in Day County
    • Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
  • Pierpont
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • Webster
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Roslyn
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Ferney
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Verdon
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verdon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
    • Verdon is located in Brown County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5 people
  • Langford
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Bradley
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Groton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Conde
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Waubay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Julian ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Julian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
      • Julian is located in Clark County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bristol. 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bristol) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bristol. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.3466, Longitude: -97.7493       In this case, the coordinates for Bristol 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 Bristol, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024