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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 Mitchell (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 Mitchell. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

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

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

  • Davison County     (The home county of Mitchell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • River Bluff Addition
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for River Bluff Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Bluff Addition
      • River Bluff Addition is located in Davison County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
    • Loomis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loomis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
      • Loomis is located in Davison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loomis <2>
    • Ethan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Mount Vernon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
      • Mount Vernon is located in Davison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Vernon <2>
  • Aurora County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Storla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Storla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storla
      • Storla is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6 people
    • Stickney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Plankinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Hillside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Hillside is located in Douglas County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31 people
    • Corsica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corsica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corsica
      • Corsica is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corsica <2>
    • Douglas City ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Douglas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas City
      • Douglas City is located in Douglas County
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Plano
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Plano is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
    • Fulton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
      • Fulton is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <2>
    • Farwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Farwell is located in Hanson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farwell
      • From Mitchell to Farwell
    • Alexandria
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
      • Alexandria is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <2>
    • Rockport Colony
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
      • Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
    • Farmer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Epiphany
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epiphany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epiphany
      • Epiphany is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
    • Emery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Hutchinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Dimock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dimock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dimock
      • Dimock is located in Hutchinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dimock <2>
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Elm Springs Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elm Springs Colony
      • New Elm Springs Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 600 people
    • Parkston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Milltown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Tschetter Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tschetter Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tschetter Colony
      • Tschetter Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 80 people
  • McCook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Spencer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in McCook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <2>
    • Bridgewater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Salem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in McCook County
    • Unityville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unityville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unityville
      • Unityville is located in McCook County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 52 people
  • Miner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Fedora
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Roswell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roswell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Canova
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canova have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canova
      • Canova is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canova <2>
    • Vilas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vilas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Vilas is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vilas
      • From Mitchell to Vilas
  • Sanborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mitchell, with the one closest to Mitchell listed first.
    • Letcher
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Letcher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letcher
      • Letcher is located in Sanborn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Letcher <2>
    • Artesian
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artesian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesian
      • Artesian is located in Sanborn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesian <2>
    • Cuthbert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Forestburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Woonsocket
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Mitchell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mitchell.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graceland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Home Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graceland Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Redstone Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redstone Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redstone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nicolaisen Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicolaisen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicolaisen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Farwell Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...
    • Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Emsley Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emsley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emsley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • West Lawn Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Lawn Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Lawn 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 Mitchell had a population of 2,217 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Mitchell had a population of 15,697 people.

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

  • Fulton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
    • Fulton is located in Hanson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <2>
  • Ethan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Farwell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
    • Farwell is located in Hanson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Farwell
    • From Mitchell to Farwell
  • Mount Vernon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
    • Mount Vernon is located in Davison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Vernon <2>
  • Alexandria
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
    • Alexandria is located in Hanson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <2>
  • Letcher
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Letcher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letcher
    • Letcher is located in Sanborn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Letcher <2>
  • Farmer
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Artesian
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artesian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesian
    • Artesian is located in Sanborn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesian <2>
  • Forestburg
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Emery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Spencer
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
    • Spencer is located in McCook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <2>
  • Parkston
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Milltown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Plankinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Roswell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roswell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mitchell ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mitchell.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mitchell. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mitchell and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mitchell.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<7> of Mitchell.

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 Mitchell:

The official website for Mitchell: www.cityofmitchell.org/

The official website for Davison County: www.davisoncounty.org/

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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<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 Mitchell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mitchell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mitchell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7135, Longitude: -98.0256    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025