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 Clayton (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 Clayton. 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.
Clayton is located in Hutchinson 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 Hutchinson County: Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, McCook, Turner & Yankton.
Below are the counties that are near Clayton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Clayton:
- Hutchinson County (The home county of Clayton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Tschetter Colony
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tschetter Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tschetter Colony
- Tschetter Colony is located in Hutchinson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 80 people
- Wolf Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
- Wolf Creek is located in Hutchinson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 195 people
- Milltown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
- Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
- New Elm Springs Colony
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Elm Springs Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elm Springs Colony
- New Elm Springs Colony is located in Hutchinson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 600 people
- Freeman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Olivet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olivet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Olivet is located in Hutchinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olivet <2>
- Menno
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Menno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
- Menno is located in Hutchinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <2>
- Dimock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Parkston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Kaylor
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Tripp
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bon Homme County
- Scotland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Scotland is located in Bon Homme County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotland <2>
- Davison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Ethan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mitchell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- River Bluff Addition
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Hillside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- 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 southwest)
- 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>
- Hanson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Emery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Rockport Colony
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
- Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
- Alexandria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
- Alexandria is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <2>
- Farmer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
- Farmer is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
- Fulton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Fulton is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <2>
- Epiphany
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epiphany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epiphany
- Epiphany is located in Hanson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
- Plano
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
- Plano is located in Hanson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
- Farwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
- Farwell is located in Hanson County
- McCook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Bridgewater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spencer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Spencer is located in McCook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <2>
- Canistota
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Salem
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Salem is located in McCook County
- Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Unityville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unityville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unityville
- Unityville is located in McCook County
- Estimated population in 2014: 52 people
- Montrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Minnehaha County
- Pumpkin Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pumpkin Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumpkin Center
- Pumpkin Center is located in Minnehaha County
- Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
- Turner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Dolton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dolton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
- Dolton is located in Turner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
- Marion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Monroe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Monroe is located in Turner County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monroe <2>
- Spring Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Spring Valley is located in Turner County
- Parker
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hurley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Yankton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Jamesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jamesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
- Jamesville is located in Yankton County
- Estimated population in 2014: 232 people
- Midway
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Midway is located in Yankton County
- Lesterville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lesterville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesterville
- Lesterville is located in Yankton County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lesterville <2>
- Mayfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Mayfield is located in Yankton County
- Estimated population in 2014: 208 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Clayton, see our County-by-County Page for Clayton.
Cemeteries Near Clayton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clayton.
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 Clayton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Rademacher Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rademacher Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rademacher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Clayton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clayton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clayton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Huber Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huber Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Kleinkassell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kleinkassell Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kleinkassell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rasmussen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Emery Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emery Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emery Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Milltown Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Milltown Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Milltown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Drei Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drei Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Drei Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Martins Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Martins Lutheran Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Martins Lutheran Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Emery.
- The St. Martins Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Martins Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97588 <6>
- Walz Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walz Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Elfert Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elfert Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elfert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (123 more) ...
- Friedenfeld Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friedenfeld Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friedenfeld Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Stephens Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephens Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Emery.
- The Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Martins Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97586 <6>
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.<7>
While we didn't find Clayton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Clayton.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Milltown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
- Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
- Bridgewater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Emery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Freeman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Olivet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olivet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Olivet is located in Hutchinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olivet <2>
- Menno
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Menno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
- Menno is located in Hutchinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <2>
- Alexandria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
- Alexandria is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <2>
- Parkston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ethan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Spencer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Spencer is located in McCook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <2>
- Farmer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
- Farmer is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
- Scotland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Scotland is located in Bon Homme County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 792 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotland <2>
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Marion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Tripp
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fulton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Fulton is located in Hanson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <2>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Clayton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Clayton.
Newspapers Published in Clayton ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clayton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clayton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clayton.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Clayton:
- Websites specific to South Dakota
- Pages specific to Hutchinson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bon Homme County
- Davison County
- Douglas County
- Hanson County
- McCook County
- Minnehaha County
- Turner County
- Yankton County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Dakota
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clayton. 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> | 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> | 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. |
<4> | If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database. |
<5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Clayton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clayton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4436, Longitude: -97.6578 In this case, the coordinates for Clayton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<6> | 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. |
<7> | 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 Clayton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |