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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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 and hospitals 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.

Salem is located in McCook 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 McCook County: Hanson, Hutchinson, Lake, Miner, Minnehaha & Turner.

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

  • McCook County     (The home county of Salem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Salem
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Unityville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unityville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unityville
      • Unityville is located in McCook County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 52 people
    • Spencer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in McCook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <1>
    • Canistota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bridgewater
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Montrose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Davison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Ethan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Mitchell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Emery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Farmer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
      • Farmer is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
    • Epiphany
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epiphany have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epiphany
      • Epiphany is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 103 people
    • Alexandria
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
      • Alexandria is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <1>
    • Fulton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
      • Fulton is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <1>
    • Rockport Colony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Colony
      • Rockport Colony is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
    • Farwell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Farwell is located in Hanson County
    • Plano
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Plano is located in Hanson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 104 people
  • Hutchinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Freeman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Elm Springs Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elm Springs Colony
      • New Elm Springs Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 600 people
    • Wolf Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
      • Wolf Creek is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 195 people
    • Milltown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
      • Milltown is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 115 people
    • Tschetter Colony
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tschetter Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tschetter Colony
      • Tschetter Colony is located in Hutchinson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 80 people
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Winfred
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfred have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfred
      • Winfred is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winfred <1>
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 333 people
    • Junius
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junius
      • Junius is located in Lake County
    • Prairie Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Village
      • Prairie Village is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 18 people
    • Madison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Peninsula Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peninsula Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peninsula Park
      • Peninsula Park is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
    • Chester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brant Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake
      • Brant Lake is located in Lake County
    • Ramona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona
      • Ramona is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ramona <1>
  • Miner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Canova
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canova have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canova
      • Canova is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canova <1>
    • Howard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Vilas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vilas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Vilas is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
    • Roswell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roswell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roswell
      • Roswell is located in Miner County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 70 people
    • Fedora
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Minnehaha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Humboldt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Pumpkin Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pumpkin Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumpkin Center
      • Pumpkin Center is located in Minnehaha County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
    • Hartford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Minnehaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <1>
    • Colton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Huntimer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntimer
      • Huntimer is located in Minnehaha County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 590 people
    • Lyons
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • West Acres Development
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Acres Development have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Acres Development
      • West Acres Development is located in Minnehaha County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 180 people
  • Turner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Dolton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dolton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
      • Dolton is located in Turner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
    • Monroe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Turner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monroe <1>
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Parker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.

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

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

  • Wildwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wildwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wildwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Unityville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Olsen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olsen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olsen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spencer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spencer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spencer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Lutheran Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Salem Lutheran Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<5> to the south of Salem.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97665 <4>
  • Sun Prairie Baptist Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sun Prairie Baptist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sun Prairie Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Stephens Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (89 more) ...
    • Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Emery.
      • The Saint Martins Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • St. Martins Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97586 <4>
    • Pleasant Prairie Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Prairie Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Canistota Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the 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 <4>

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.<6>

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

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

  • Salem
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Spencer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
    • Spencer is located in McCook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <1>
  • Canistota
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Emery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bridgewater
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Canova
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canova have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canova
    • Canova is located in Miner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canova <1>
  • Montrose
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Farmer
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer
    • Farmer is located in Hanson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
  • Alexandria
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexandria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
    • Alexandria is located in Hanson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <1>
  • Monroe
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
    • Monroe is located in Turner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monroe <1>
  • Humboldt
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Orland ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orland
    • Orland is located in Lake County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Fulton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
      • Fulton is located in Hanson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulton <1>
    • Winfred
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winfred have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfred
      • Winfred is located in Lake County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winfred <1>
    • Howard
      (21 miles [33.8 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 Salem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Salem.

Newspapers Published in Salem ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Salem:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Salem. 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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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>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- Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7062, Longitude: -97.4388       In this case, the coordinates for Salem have been taken from the 2010 Census.
<6>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 Salem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025