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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 Polo (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 Polo. 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.

Polo is located in Hand 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 Hand County: Beadle, Buffalo, Faulk, Hyde, Jerauld & Spink.

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

  • Hand County     (The home county of Polo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Florence ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Hand County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 374 people
    • Miller
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Ree Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ree Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ree Heights
      • Ree Heights is located in Hand County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ree Heights <2>
    • Saint Lawrence
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lawrence
      • Saint Lawrence is located in Hand County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Lawrence <2>
  • Beadle County
    • Wessington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wessington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wessington
      • Wessington is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wessington <2>
  • Faulk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Orient
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Miranda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miranda
      • Miranda is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 122 people
    • Rockham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
      • Rockham is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <2>
    • Faulkton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Zell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
      • Zell is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
    • Devoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devoe
      • Devoe is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
    • Millard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Faulk County
    • Wecota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Seneca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cresbard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cresbard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresbard
      • Cresbard is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cresbard <2>
  • Hyde County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Highmore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Holabird
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holabird have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holabird
      • Holabird is located in Hyde County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holabird <2>
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Redfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Tulare
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulare have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulare
      • Tulare is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tulare <2>
    • Spottswood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spottswood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
      • Spottswood is located in Spink County

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

Newspapers Published in Polo ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polo.

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

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 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 Polo:

Cemeteries Near Polo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polo.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
  • Howell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howell Cemetery
  • Alden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alden Cemetery
  • Orient - Prairieview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orient - Prairieview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orient - Prairieview Cemetery
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
  • Sunbeam Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunbeam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunbeam Cemetery
  • Faulkton Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faulkton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faulkton Cemetery
  • Miranda Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miranda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miranda Cemetery
  • Burdette Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burdette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burdette Cemetery
  • Rockham Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rockham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rockham Cemetery
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Morningside Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morningside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morningside Cemetery
    • St. Anns Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant View Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • Florence ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Hand County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 374 people
  • Orient
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Miranda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miranda
    • Miranda is located in Faulk County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 122 people
  • Burdette
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burdette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
    • Burdette is located in Hand County
  • Rockham
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
    • Rockham is located in Faulk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <2>
  • Faulkton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Ree Heights
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ree Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ree Heights
    • Ree Heights is located in Hand County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ree Heights <2>
  • Miller
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Saint Lawrence
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lawrence
    • Saint Lawrence is located in Hand County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Lawrence <2>
  • Bramhall ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bramhall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramhall
    • Bramhall is located in Hyde County
  • Zell
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
    • Zell is located in Faulk County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
  • Burkmere
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burkmere have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkmere
    • Burkmere is located in Faulk County
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Highmore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Devoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devoe
      • Devoe is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
    • Millard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Faulk County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Polo. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of South Dakota: 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Polo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Polo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.7794, Longitude: -99.1096       In this case, the coordinates for Polo have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Polo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024