RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Dakota >> Minnehaha County >> Pumpkin Center >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Pumpkin Center (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 Pumpkin Center. 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.

Name Variations for Pumpkin Center ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Pumpkin Center: Pumpkin Ctr. (or less commonly used: Pumpkin Cen., Pumpkin Cent. or Pumpkin Cntr.)

You might see Pumpkin Centre instead of Pumpkin Center.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Pumpkin Center. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Pumpkin Center.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 and doctors 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.

Pumpkin Center is located in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County: Lyon (IA), Rock (MN), Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Moody & Turner.

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

  • Minnehaha County     (The home county of Pumpkin Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Humboldt
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Hartford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • El Rancho Acres
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • El Rancho Acres is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Rancho Acres
      • Estimated population in 2014: 27 people
    • West Acres Development
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • West Acres Development is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Acres Development
      • Estimated population in 2014: 180 people
    • Ellis Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Ellis Corner is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Corner
      • Estimated population in 2014: 99 people
    • Webster Grove Addition
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Webster Grove Addition is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster Grove Addition
      • Estimated population in 2014: 156 people
    • Hayward Addition
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Hayward Addition is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward Addition
      • Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
    • Silver Valley Addition
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Silver Valley Addition is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Valley Addition
      • Estimated population in 2014: 112 people
    • Crooks
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Crooks is located in Minnehaha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crooks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crooks <1>
    • Lyons
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sioux Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Colton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Hanson County
    • Emery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Hutchinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Freeman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wolf Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wolf Creek is located in Hutchinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 195 people
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Franklin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Franklin is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Estimated population in 2014: 333 people
    • Chester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Brant Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Brant Lake is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake
    • Peninsula Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Peninsula Park is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peninsula Park
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Tea
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Tea is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tea
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,405 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tea <1>
    • Lennox
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrisburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Worthing
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Shindler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Shindler is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
    • Canton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McCook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Canistota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Montrose
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Salem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Salem is located in McCook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Bridgewater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Unityville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Unityville is located in McCook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unityville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 52 people
    • Spencer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Turner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pumpkin Center, with the one closest to Pumpkin Center listed first.
    • Monroe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Parker
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Marion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chancellor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dolton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Dolton is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
    • Hurley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Davis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Hooker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Hooker is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Spring Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Spring Valley is located in Turner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • Viborg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Centerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lyon County (IA)
    • Klondike
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Klondike is located in Lyon County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike

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

Cemeteries Near Pumpkin Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pumpkin Center.

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 Pumpkin Center - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • German Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Wellington Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Humboldt Public Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Reformed Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Norwegian Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Hartford Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • St. George Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Canistota Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canistota Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Canistota Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Canistota.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #96858 <2>
  • Continue List   (113 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenwood Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Christina Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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>

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

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

  • Monroe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Humboldt
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Hartford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Parker
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Canistota
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Marion
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Montrose
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ellis
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Ellis is located in Minnehaha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
  • Lennox
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lyons
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Hurley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Sioux Falls
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgewater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Freeman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Pumpkin Center ...

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 105 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pumpkin Center.

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

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 Pumpkin Center:

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 Pumpkin Center, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Pumpkin Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.