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 Ree Heights (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 Ree Heights. 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 Ree Heights ...
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 have occurred.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Ree Heights: Ree Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)
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.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Ree Heights 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 Ree Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ree Heights:
- Hand County (The home county of Ree Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ree Heights, with the one closest to Ree Heights listed first.
- Miller
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Saint Lawrence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Florence ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
- Ames
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
- Ames is located in Hand County
- Polo
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polo
- Polo is located in Hand County
- Estimated population in 2014: 227 people
- Beadle County
- Wessington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wessington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Faulk County
- Orient
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hughes County
- Harrold
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrold
- Harrold is located in Hughes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrold <1>
- Hyde County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ree Heights, with the one closest to Ree Heights listed first.
- Highmore
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Holabird
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holabird have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Stephan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ree Heights, see our County-by-County Page for Ree Heights.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ree Heights ...
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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ree Heights.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ree Heights. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ree Heights and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ree Heights.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> of Ree Heights.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Ree Heights:
- Websites specific to South Dakota
- Pages specific to Hand County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Beadle County
- Faulk County
- Hughes County
- Hyde County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Dakota
Cemeteries Near Ree Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ree Heights.
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 Ree Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ree Heights, with the one closest to Ree Heights listed first.
- Morningside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morningside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morningside Cemetery
- G A R Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the G A R Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the G A R Cemetery
- Highmore Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- St. Anns Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Anns Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Miller.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97512 <4>
- Alden Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alden Cemetery
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lawrence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lawrence Cemetery
- Cedar Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Cemetery
- Calvary Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
- Bohemian Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
- Beulah Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beulah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beulah Cemetery
- Sunbeam Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunbeam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunbeam Cemetery
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
- Howell Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howell Cemetery
- Immaculate Conception Mission Cemetery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ree Heights had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ree Heights had a population of 58 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ree Heights, with the one closest to Ree Heights listed first.
- Bramhall ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bramhall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramhall
- Bramhall is located in Hyde County
- Miller
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Highmore
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Saint Lawrence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Florence ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
- Sweetland ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Sweetland is located in Hand County
- Ames
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
- Ames is located in Hand County
- Holabird
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holabird have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Stephan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Burdette
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burdette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
- Burdette is located in Hand County
- Wessington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wessington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Orient
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ree Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ree Heights.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ree Heights. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of South Dakota: https://www.sd.gov/
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 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. |
<3> | 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- Ree Heights) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ree Heights. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.5161, Longitude: -99.2007 In this case, the coordinates for Ree Heights 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 Ree Heights, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |