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 Kennebec (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 Kennebec. 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 hospitals and 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.

Kennebec is located in Lyman 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 Lyman County: Brule, Buffalo, Gregory, Hughes, Hyde, Jones, Mellette, Stanley & Tripp.

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

• Lyman County     (The home county of Kennebec)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Kennebec, with the one closest to Kennebec listed first.
  • Lyman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
    • Lyman is located in Lyman County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 43 people
  • Presho
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Presho have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Presho
    • Presho is located in Lyman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Presho <2>
  • Reliance
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reliance have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
    • Reliance is located in Lyman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reliance <2>
  • East Lyman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lyman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lyman
    • East Lyman is located in Lyman County
    • Estimated population in 2019: 145 people
  • Lower Brule
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Brule have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Brule
    • Lower Brule is located in Lyman County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 24 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lower Brule <2>
  • Vivian
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vivian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vivian
    • Vivian is located in Lyman County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 149 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vivian <2>
  • Oacoma
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oacoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oacoma
    • Oacoma is located in Lyman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oacoma <2>
• Brule County
  • Chamberlain
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chamberlain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
    • Chamberlain is located in Brule County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,348 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chamberlain <2>
• Buffalo County
  • Fort Thompson
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Thompson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Thompson
    • Fort Thompson is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,282 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Thompson <2>
• Tripp County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Kennebec, with the one closest to Kennebec listed first.
  • Hamill
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamill
    • Hamill is located in Tripp County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 11 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hamill <2>
  • Ideal
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ideal
    • Ideal is located in Tripp County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 123 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ideal <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kennebec ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kennebec.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Kennebec. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Kennebec and those printed in the larger area surrounding Kennebec.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> of Kennebec.

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 Kennebec:

• Websites specific to South Dakota
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the South Dakota State Archives

• Pages specific to Lyman County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Brule County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Buffalo County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Tripp County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for South Dakota
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of South Dakota
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of South Dakota
  • Cemeteries of Lyman County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of South Dakota
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of South Dakota

Cemeteries Near Kennebec ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kennebec.

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

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

• Kennebec Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kennebec Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97165 <4>
• Hillsdale Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • The Hillsdale Cemetery has also been known as:
  • Hillside Cemetery
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillsdale Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97098 <4>
• St. Michaels Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97609 <4>
• Earling Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Earling Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the east of Kennebec.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Earling Cemetery
• Prairie View Cemetery
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Prairie View Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<3> to the north of Kennebec.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie View Cemetery
• Trinity Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
• Presho Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presho Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2152586 <4>
• Holy Angels Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Angels Cemetery
• Medicine Creek Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Medicine Creek Cemetery
• Reliance Cemetery
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reliance Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reliance Cemetery
• St. Marys Cemetery
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
• Red Hill Cemetery
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Hill Cemetery
• Continue List   (12 more) ...
  • Holy Faith Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Faith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Faith Cemetery
  • Holy Comforter Episcopal Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Comforter Episcopal Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2163603 <4>
  • Hilmoe Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hilmoe 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.<5>

While we didn't find Kennebec in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Kennebec.

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

• Lyman
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
  • Lyman is located in Lyman County
  • Estimated population in 2014: 43 people
• Presho
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Presho have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Presho
  • Presho is located in Lyman County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Presho <2>
• Lower Brule
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Brule have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Brule
  • Lower Brule is located in Lyman County
  • Population from the 2010 Census: 24 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lower Brule <2>
• Oacoma
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oacoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oacoma
  • Oacoma is located in Lyman County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oacoma <2>
• De Grey
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Grey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Grey
  • De Grey is located in Hughes County
• Chamberlain
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chamberlain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
  • Chamberlain is located in Brule County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,348 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chamberlain <2>

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Kennebec. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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