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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 Clark (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 Clark. 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 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.

Clark is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Beadle, Codington, Day, Hamlin, Kingsbury & Spink.

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

  • Clark County     (The home county of Clark)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Elrod
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elrod have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Garden City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Merton ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Raymond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Naples
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
      • Naples is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Bradley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Crocker
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Vienna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vienna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Willow Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Carpenter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pitrodie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Success have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Brown County
    • Verdon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Codington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Henry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
      • Henry is located in Codington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henry <2>
    • Wallace
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Kampeska
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kampeska
      • Kampeska is located in Codington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 331 people
    • Grover
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Grover is located in Codington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 171 people
    • Florence
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Watertown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Day County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Lily
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
      • Lily is located in Day County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
    • Crandall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crandall
      • Crandall is located in Day County
    • Butler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • 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
  • Hamlin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Hazel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Bryant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Thomas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
      • Thomas is located in Hamlin County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 290 people
    • Hayti
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayti have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Kingsbury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Bancroft
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Osceola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Erwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clark, with the one closest to Clark listed first.
    • Doland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doland
      • Doland is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Doland <2>
    • Turton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Conde
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Frankfort
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Spink Colony
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spink Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spink Colony
      • Spink Colony is located in Spink County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 155 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Clark ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clark.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Clark:

Cemeteries Near Clark ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clark.

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

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

  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Boniface Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Boniface Cemetery
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
  • Darlington Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Darlington Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Darlington Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the north of Clark.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Darlington Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #96909 <5>
  • South Elrod Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Elrod Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Elrod Cemetery
  • Garden City Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden City Cemetery
  • Logan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Logan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Logan Cemetery
  • West Merton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Merton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Merton Cemetery
  • Prairie Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Valley Cemetery
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
  • Hague Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hague Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hague Cemetery
  • Naples Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Naples Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Naples Cemetery
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...
    • St. Patricks Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • St. Henry Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Henry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Henry Cemetery
    • Lorinda Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lorinda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lorinda 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Clark had a population of 592 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Clark had a population of 1,078 people.

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

  • Elrod
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elrod have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Julian ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Garden City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Merton ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Raymond
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Carlton ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
    • Carlton is located in Clark County
  • Naples
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
    • Naples is located in Clark County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
  • Henry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
    • Henry is located in Codington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henry <2>
  • Bradley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Vienna
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vienna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Willow Lake
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Doland
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doland
    • Doland is located in Spink County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Doland <2>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Hazel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Lily
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
      • Lily is located in Day County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
    • Pitrodie ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pitrodie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clark. 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 from Point A (ie- Clark) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clark. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8798, Longitude: -97.7342    
<4>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.
<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 Clark, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024