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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 Loomis (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 Loomis. 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 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.

Loomis is located in Davison 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 Davison County: Aurora, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson & Sanborn.

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

  • Davison County     (The home county of Loomis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • River Bluff Addition
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • River Bluff Addition is located in Davison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Bluff Addition
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
    • Mitchell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Vernon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ethan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Aurora County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Storla
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Storla is located in Aurora County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storla
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6 people
    • Plankinton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Stickney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Aurora Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Aurora Center is located in Aurora County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora Center
    • White Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Hillside
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Hillside is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31 people
    • Corsica
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Douglas City ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Douglas City is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas City
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Plano
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Plano is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
    • Farwell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Farwell is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
    • Fulton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Alexandria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockport Colony
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
    • Farmer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Farmer is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
    • Epiphany
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Epiphany is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epiphany
      • Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
    • Emery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Hutchinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Dimock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Parkston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Milltown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
  • Jerauld County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Lane
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Alpena
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Wessington Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • McCook County
    • Spencer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Miner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Fedora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Roswell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Vilas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Vilas is located in Miner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
    • Canova
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Sanborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loomis, with the one closest to Loomis listed first.
    • Letcher
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Cuthbert
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Cuthbert is located in Sanborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuthbert
    • Forestburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Forestburg is located in Sanborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestburg
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 73 people
    • Artesian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Woonsocket
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Loomis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Loomis.

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 Loomis - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Loomis covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Graceland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • West Lawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Butler Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Sunset Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Victor Lutheran Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Quaker Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Knutson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • New Home Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (72 more) ...
    • Redstone Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Farwell Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Nicolaisen Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Mitchell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Letcher
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mount Vernon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Farwell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Farwell is located in Hanson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
  • Fulton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Forestburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Forestburg is located in Sanborn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestburg
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 73 people
  • Artesian
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Ethan
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Alexandria
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Plankinton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Woonsocket
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Farmer
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Farmer is located in Hanson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Roswell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Spencer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Emery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Loomis ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Loomis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Loomis, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Loomis.

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 Loomis:

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>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 Loomis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Loomis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.