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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 Oreville (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 Oreville. 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 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.

Oreville is located in Pennington 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 Pennington County: Custer, Haakon, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Oglala Lakota & Weston (WY).

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

  • Pennington County     (The home county of Oreville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Hill City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Redfern
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Redfern is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfern
    • Keystone
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Sheridan ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sheridan is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
      • Estimated population in 2014: 447 people
    • Harney
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Harney is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
      • Estimated population in 2014: 64 people
    • Frenchtown ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Frenchtown is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 276 people
    • Hayward ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Hayward is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward
    • Mystic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Mystic is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
    • Rockerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Canyon City ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Canyon City is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon City
    • Silver City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Silver City is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
    • Pactola ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pactola is located in Pennington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pactola
  • Custer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Berne
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Berne is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berne
    • Custer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Fourmile
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Fourmile is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fourmile
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Sanator
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Sanator is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanator
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,350 people
    • Spokane ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Spokane is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokane
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,237 people
    • State Game Lodge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • State Game Lodge is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Game Lodge
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29 people
    • Pringle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Hermosa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Fairburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ivanhoe ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ivanhoe is located in Custer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
      • Estimated population in 2014: 144 people
    • Buffalo Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fall River County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Erskine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Erskine is located in Fall River County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erskine
    • Hot Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Diamond City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Diamond City is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
    • Merritt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Merritt is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritt
      • Estimated population in 2014: 175 people
    • Gregory ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Gregory is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,264 people
    • Nahant
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Nahant is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nahant
    • Nemo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Greenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Greenwood is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood has also been known as:
      • Laflin
    • Tomahawk
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Tomahawk is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
      • Estimated population in 2014: 36 people
    • Dumont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Dumont is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
      • Estimated population in 2014: 45 people
    • Roubaix
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Roubaix is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roubaix
      • Estimated population in 2013: 14 people
    • Woodville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Woodville is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Englewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Englewood is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
      • Estimated population in 2014: 25 people
  • Meade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Blackhawk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Summerset
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Piedmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Weston County (WY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oreville, with the one closest to Oreville listed first.
    • Hill View Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Hill View Heights is located in Weston County (WY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill View Heights
    • Spencer ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Spencer is located in Weston County (WY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
    • Clifton ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clifton is located in Weston County (WY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
    • Newcastle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Four Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cambria ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Cambria is located in Weston County (WY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria

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

Cemeteries Near Oreville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oreville.

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

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

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

  • Custer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain View Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Keystone.
    • The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Keystone Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97167 <2>
  • Rockerville Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Pringle Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Rochford Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Pine Lawn Memorial Park
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mountain Meadow Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Fairburn Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Blackhawk Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Oreville had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Berne
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Berne is located in Custer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berne
  • Hill City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Custer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Redfern
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Redfern is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfern
  • Sheridan ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheridan is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Estimated population in 2014: 447 people
  • Spokane ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Spokane is located in Custer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokane
    • Estimated population in 2014: 3,237 people
  • Hayward ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Hayward is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward
  • Rockerville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Mystic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Mystic is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
  • Pactola ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pactola is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pactola
  • Silver City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Silver City is located in Pennington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
  • Pringle
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rochford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Merritt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Merritt is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritt
      • Estimated population in 2014: 175 people
    • Gregory ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Gregory is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,264 people

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

Newspapers Published in Oreville ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oreville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oreville, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oreville.

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 Oreville:

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