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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 Kimball (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 Kimball. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Kimball is located in Brule 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 Brule County: Aurora, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Gregory, Jerauld & Lyman.

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

  • Brule County     (The home county of Kimball)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • Lyonville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
      • Lyonville is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
    • Pukwana
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pukwana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pukwana
      • Pukwana is located in Brule County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pukwana <2>
    • Eagle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Eagle is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
    • Ola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
      • Ola is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 108 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ola
      • From Kimball to Ola
    • Bijou Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bijou Hills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
      • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bijou Hills
      • From Kimball to Bijou Hills
    • Chamberlain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • 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>
  • Aurora County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • White Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
      • White Lake is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <2>
    • Plankinton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Aurora Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora Center
      • Aurora Center is located in Aurora County
    • Stickney
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stickney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
      • Stickney is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stickney <2>
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • Shelby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in Buffalo County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
    • Gann Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Crow Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crow Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
      • Crow Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crow Creek
      • From Kimball to Crow Creek
  • Charles Mix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • Academy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Platte Colony
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platte Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte Colony
      • Platte Colony is located in Charles Mix County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
    • Platte
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • Joubert
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Holland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
      • Harrison is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrison <2>
  • Jerauld County
  • Lyman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kimball, with the one closest to Kimball listed first.
    • Oacoma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Iona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Kimball ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kimball.

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

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

  • St. Margarets Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Margarets Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Margarets Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • National Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Bullis Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bullis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bullis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Community Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Eagle Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eagle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eagle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Norwegian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Norwegian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwegian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwegian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Vencels Bohemian National Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Gabrielson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gabrielson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gabrielson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Larson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Larson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Larson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (49 more) ...
    • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Trinity Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
      • 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.
    • Vega Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vega Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vega Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Kimball had a population of 593 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kimball had a population of 666 people.

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

  • Lyonville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
    • Lyonville is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
  • Pukwana
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pukwana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pukwana
    • Pukwana is located in Brule County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pukwana <2>
  • White Lake
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
    • White Lake is located in Aurora County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <2>
  • Eagle
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Eagle is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
  • Ola
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
    • Ola is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 108 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ola
    • From Kimball to Ola
  • Bijou Hills
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bijou Hills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
    • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bijou Hills
    • From Kimball to Bijou Hills
  • Crow Lake
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crow Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Lake
    • Crow Lake is located in Jerauld County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Crow Lake
    • From Kimball to Crow Lake
  • Chamberlain
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Crow Creek
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crow Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
    • Crow Creek is located in Buffalo County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Crow Creek
    • From Kimball to Crow Creek
  • Gann Valley
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Oacoma
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Plankinton
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kimball ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kimball.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Kimball. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Kimball and those printed in the larger area surrounding Kimball.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Kimball.

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 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 Kimball:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Kimball. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Kimball) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Kimball. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7465, Longitude: -98.9581    
<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>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 Kimball, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025