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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 Saint Lawrence (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 Saint Lawrence. 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 Saint Lawrence ...

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 Saint Lawrence: St. Lawrence

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Saint Lawrence 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 Saint Lawrence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Lawrence:

  • Hand County     (The home county of Saint Lawrence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Lawrence, with the one closest to Saint Lawrence listed first.
    • Miller
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Florence ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Ree Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ree Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Ames
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Ames is located in Hand County
    • Polo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Lawrence, with the one closest to Saint Lawrence listed first.
    • Wessington
      (12 miles [19.3 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>
    • Bonilla
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonilla
      • Bonilla is located in Beadle County
    • Wolsey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolsey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolsey
      • Wolsey is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolsey <1>
    • Hitchcock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitchcock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitchcock
      • Hitchcock is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hitchcock <1>
    • Broadland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadland
      • Broadland is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
    • Virgil
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virgil have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
      • Virgil is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virgil <1>
  • Faulk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Lawrence, with the one closest to Saint Lawrence listed first.
    • Orient
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Rockham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Zell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
  • Hyde County
    • Highmore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Lawrence, with the one closest to Saint Lawrence listed first.
    • Spottswood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spottswood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
      • Spottswood is located in Spink County
    • Tulare
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulare have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Lawrence ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Lawrence.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Lawrence. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Lawrence and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Lawrence.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Saint Lawrence.

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 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 Saint Lawrence:

Cemeteries Near Saint Lawrence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Lawrence.

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

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

  • St. Lawrence Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • 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
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • G A R Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Beulah Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Wessington Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wessington Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside of Wessington
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wessington Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97801 <4>
  • Sunbeam Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 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
  • Morningside Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Burdette Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burdette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burdette Cemetery
  • Alden Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • McCord Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosehill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosehill Cemetery
  • Buffalo Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Cemetery
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • Howell Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • McNair Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McNair Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McNair Cemetery
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Lawrence had a population of 320 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Lawrence had a population of 181 people.

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

  • Miller
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Florence ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • 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
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Wessington
    (12 miles [19.3 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>
  • Ree Heights
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ree Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Burdette
    (14 miles [22.5 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
  • Bramhall ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 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
  • Ames
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Ames is located in Hand County
  • Bonilla
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonilla
    • Bonilla is located in Beadle County
  • Spottswood
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spottswood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
    • Spottswood is located in Spink County
  • Wolsey
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolsey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolsey
    • Wolsey is located in Beadle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolsey <1>
  • Highmore
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Tulare
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulare have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Orient
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hitchcock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitchcock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitchcock
      • Hitchcock is located in Beadle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hitchcock <1>

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

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

The official website for State of South Dakota: 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saint Lawrence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Lawrence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.5169, Longitude: -98.9404       In this case, the coordinates for Saint Lawrence 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 Saint Lawrence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024