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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Florence. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Florence to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Florence, please Contact Us.

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 Florence (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 Florence. 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 doctors and 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Florence is historic, it would have been located within present day Hand 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 Hand County: Beadle, Buffalo, Faulk, Hyde, Jerauld & Spink.

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

  • Hand County     (The home county of Florence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Polo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polo
      • Polo is located in Hand County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 227 people
    • Miller
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Saint Lawrence
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lawrence
      • Saint Lawrence is located in Hand County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Lawrence <3>
    • Ree Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ames
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Ames is located in Hand County
  • Beadle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Wessington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wessington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wessington
      • Wessington is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wessington <3>
    • Bonilla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonilla
      • Bonilla is located in Beadle County
    • Hitchcock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitchcock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitchcock
      • Hitchcock is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hitchcock <3>
  • Faulk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Orient
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Rockham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
      • Rockham is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <3>
    • Miranda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miranda
      • Miranda is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 122 people
    • Zell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
      • Zell is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
    • Faulkton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Devoe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devoe
      • Devoe is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
  • Hyde County
    • Highmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Spottswood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spottswood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
      • Spottswood is located in Spink County
    • Tulare
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulare have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulare
      • Tulare is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tulare <3>
    • Redfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Florence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Florence.

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

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

  • Howell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alden Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunbeam Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunbeam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunbeam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burdette Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burdette Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burdette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beulah Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beulah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beulah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Anns Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Miller.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97512 <5>
  • St. Lawrence Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lawrence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lawrence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • G A R Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the G A R Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the G A R Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Orient - Prairieview Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orient - Prairieview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orient - Prairieview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buffalo Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Morningside Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morningside Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morningside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

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

Florence itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2014, Florence had a population of 374 people.

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

  • Burdette
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burdette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
    • Burdette is located in Hand County
  • Miller
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Saint Lawrence
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lawrence
    • Saint Lawrence is located in Hand County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Lawrence <3>
  • Orient
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Ree Heights
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rockham
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
    • Rockham is located in Faulk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <3>
  • Bramhall ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bramhall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramhall
    • Bramhall is located in Hyde County
  • Zell
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
    • Zell is located in Faulk County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
  • Miranda
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miranda
    • Miranda is located in Faulk County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 122 people
  • Wessington
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wessington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wessington
    • Wessington is located in Beadle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wessington <3>
  • Spottswood
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spottswood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
    • Spottswood is located in Spink County
  • Tulare
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulare have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulare
    • Tulare is located in Spink County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tulare <3>
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Faulkton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Sweetland ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
      • Sweetland is located in Hand County
    • Highmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Florence ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Florence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Florence, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Florence.

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 Florence:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Florence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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>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- Florence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Florence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.6916, Longitude: -98.9893       In this case, the coordinates for Florence have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025