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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 Maxwell Colony (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 Maxwell Colony. 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 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 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.

Maxwell Colony is located in Hutchinson 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 Hutchinson County: Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, McCook, Turner & Yankton.

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

  • Hutchinson County     (The home county of Maxwell Colony)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Menno
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Menno is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <1>
    • Olivet
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kaylor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Wolf Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Wolf Creek is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 195 people
    • Tschetter Colony
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Tschetter Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tschetter Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 80 people
    • Freeman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Tripp
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Tripp is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tripp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tripp <1>
    • Milltown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
    • Parkston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Dimock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bon Homme County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Scotland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Tabor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Tabor is located in Bon Homme County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tabor <1>
    • Tyndall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kingsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Kingsburg is located in Bon Homme County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsburg
      • Estimated population in 2014: 697 people
    • Avon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Avon is located in Bon Homme County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avon <1>
    • Springfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Perkins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Perkins is located in Bon Homme County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
  • Charles Mix County
    • Dante
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Dante is located in Charles Mix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dante
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dante <1>
  • Clay County
    • Wakonda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Davison County
    • Ethan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Douglas County
    • Delmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Emery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Rockport Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
  • McCook County
    • Bridgewater
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Turner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Spring Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Spring Valley is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • Irene
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Dolton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Dolton is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
    • Marion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Viborg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hurley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Monroe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Parker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hooker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Hooker is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
  • Yankton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Jamesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jamesville is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 232 people
    • Lesterville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Midway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Midway is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Utica
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mayfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mayfield is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • Estimated population in 2014: 208 people
    • Fairview Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Fairview Heights is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Heights
      • Estimated population in 2014: 77 people
    • Oak Hills Addition
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Oak Hills Addition is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills Addition
      • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
    • Valleyview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Valleyview is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valleyview
    • Yankton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mission Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Volin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Gayville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar County (NE)
    • Aten
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Aten is located in Cedar County (NE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aten
  • Knox County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell Colony, with the one closest to Maxwell Colony listed first.
    • Santee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Santee is located in Knox County (NE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
    • Tewsville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Tewsville is located in Knox County (NE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tewsville

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

Cemeteries Near Maxwell Colony ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Maxwell Colony.

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 Maxwell Colony - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • West Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Our Savior's East Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Savior's East Cemetery
    • The Our Savior's East Cemetery has also been known as:
    • East Cemetery
    • James River Lutheran Cemetery
    • James River Norske Lutheran Cemetery
  • Petersburg Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Reform Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Odessa Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ulmer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Reform Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Freidensthal Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Knodel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Siamental Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (143 more) ...
    • Gall Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hoffnugstahl Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)

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 Maxwell Colony in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Maxwell Colony.

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

  • Scotland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Olivet
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Menno
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Menno is located in Hutchinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menno <1>
  • Jamesville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jamesville is located in Yankton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
    • Estimated population in 2014: 232 people
  • Lesterville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Utica
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Freeman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Tabor
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Tabor is located in Bon Homme County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tabor <1>
  • Tripp
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Tripp is located in Hutchinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tripp
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tripp <1>
  • Tyndall
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mayfield
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Mayfield is located in Yankton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Estimated population in 2014: 208 people
  • Milltown
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
    • Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Spring Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Spring Valley is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • Lakeport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Lakeport is located in Yankton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeport
    • Parkston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Maxwell Colony ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Maxwell Colony.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Maxwell Colony, 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 Maxwell Colony.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Maxwell Colony:

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 Maxwell Colony, 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' (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- Maxwell Colony) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.