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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 Forest City (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 Forest City. 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 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.

Forest City is located in Potter 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 Potter County: Dewey, Edmunds, Faulk, Hyde, Sully & Walworth.

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

  • Potter County     (The home county of Forest City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Gettysburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lebanon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lebanon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
      • Lebanon is located in Potter County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebanon <1>
    • Hoven
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dewey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Marksville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
      • Marksville is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 771 people
    • La Plant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Plant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Plant
      • La Plant is located in Dewey County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 171 people
    • Virginia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia
      • Virginia is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 261 people
    • Moreau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moreau have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreau
      • Moreau is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21 people
    • Ridgeview
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgeview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeview
      • Ridgeview is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 47 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgeview <1>
  • Sully County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Agar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agar
      • Agar is located in Sully County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Agar <1>
    • Onida
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Okobojo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Okobojo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okobojo
      • Okobojo is located in Sully County
  • Walworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Akaska
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lowry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
      • Lowry is located in Walworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people

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

Cemeteries Near Forest City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest City.

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

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

  • Forest City Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Petro Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petro Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petro Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swift Bird Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swift Bird Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swift Bird Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Schreiber Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schreiber Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schreiber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Le Beau Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Le Beau Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Le Beau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Appomattox Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Appomattox Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Appomattox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blair Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blair Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blair Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Agar Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hanson Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gettysburg Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gettysburg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gettysburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Episcopal Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rushs Enemy Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rushs Enemy Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rushs Enemy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pembroke Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pembroke Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pembroke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Okobojo Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Okobojo Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Okobojo 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Forest City had a population of 76 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Gettysburg
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Onida
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Okobojo
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Okobojo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okobojo
    • Okobojo is located in Sully County
  • Lebanon
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lebanon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
    • Lebanon is located in Potter County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebanon <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Forest City ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest City.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Forest City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Forest City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Forest City.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6> of Forest City.

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 Forest City:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Forest City. 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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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>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.
<5>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 Forest City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Forest City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Forest City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0028, Longitude: -100.3004       In this case, the coordinates for Forest City have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025