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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 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Clayton is located in Hutchinson County.

To see how the shape of South Dakota's counties may 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)
      • Tschetter Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tschetter Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 80 people
    • Wolf Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Wolf Creek is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 195 people
    • Milltown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • New Elm Springs Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elm Springs Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 600 people
    • Freeman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Menno
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Menno is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <1>
    • Olivet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Dimock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • 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)
      • Tripp is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tripp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tripp <1>
  • Bon Homme County
    • Scotland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • 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)
      • River Bluff Addition is located in Davison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Bluff Addition
      • 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)
      • Hillside is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31 people
    • Delmont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • 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)
      • Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
    • Alexandria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Farmer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Farmer is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
    • Fulton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Epiphany
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Epiphany is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epiphany
      • Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
    • Plano
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Plano is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
    • Farwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Farwell is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
  • 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)
    • Canistota
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Salem
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Salem is located in McCook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Salem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Unityville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Unityville is located in McCook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unityville
      • 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)
      • Pumpkin Center is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumpkin Center
      • 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)
      • Dolton is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
      • 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)
    • Spring Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Valley is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • 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)
      • Jamesville is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 232 people
    • Midway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Midway is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Lesterville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Mayfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Mayfield is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • 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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Clayton - one of the links might be able to help.

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)
  • Clayton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Huber Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kleinkassell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Rasmussen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Emery Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Milltown Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Drei Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Martins Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for 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 <3>
  • Walz Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Elfert Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...
    • Friedenfeld Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Stephens Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Martins Catholic Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Martins Catholic Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Martins Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Emery.
      • The St. Martins Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • St. Martins Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97586 <3>

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

While we didn't find 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)
    • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
    • 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
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Menno
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Menno is located in Hutchinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <1>
  • Alexandria
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • 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)
  • Farmer
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Farmer is located in Hanson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
  • Scotland
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Marion
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Tripp
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Tripp is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tripp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tripp <1>
    • Fulton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)

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]<2>. 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 like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Clayton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Clayton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.