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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 southwest 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 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.

Salem is located in McCook County and is the County Seat.

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 southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in McCook County
    • Unityville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Montrose
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Canistota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Spencer
      (10 miles [16.1 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 <3>
    • Bridgewater
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Emery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Farmer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Epiphany
      (16 miles [25.7 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
      (20 miles [32.2 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 <3>
    • Fulton
      (21 miles [33.8 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 <3>
    • Rockport Colony
      (24 miles [38.6 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Farwell is located in Hanson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farwell
      • From Salem to Farwell
    • Plano
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • New Elm Springs Colony
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Tschetter Colony
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • Wolf Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Winfred
      (18 miles [29 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 <3>
    • Franklin
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Prairie Village
      (22 miles [35.4 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Peninsula Park
      (24 miles [38.6 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brant Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ramona
      (28 miles [45.1 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 <3>
    • Wentworth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • 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 northwest)
      • 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 <3>
    • Howard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Vilas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Vilas is located in Miner County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vilas
      • From Salem to Vilas
    • 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Minnehaha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Humboldt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Pumpkin Center
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • Colton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Hartford
      (23 miles [37 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 <3>
    • Huntimer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lyons
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • West Acres Development
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Crooks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crooks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crooks
      • Crooks is located in Minnehaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crooks <3>
    • Ellis Corner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Corner
      • Ellis Corner is located in Minnehaha County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 99 people
    • El Rancho Acres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Rancho Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Rancho Acres
      • El Rancho Acres is located in Minnehaha County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 27 people
  • Turner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Dolton
      (16 miles [25.7 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 <3>
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Parker
      (25 miles [40.2 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.

  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • 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 southwest)
  • Wildwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • 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.
  • Olsen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 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.
  • Unityville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Salem Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Sun Prairie Baptist Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 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.
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patrick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • 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.
  • Canistota Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Montrose Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montrose Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Montrose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...
    • Ramsey Baptist Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ramsey Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ramsey Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ramsey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ramsey Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ramsey Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ramsey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Salem had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Salem had a population of 1,261 people.

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

  • Canistota
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Montrose
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Spencer
    (10 miles [16.1 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 <3>
  • Canova
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • 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 <3>
  • Bridgewater
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Emery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Farmer
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Humboldt
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Orland ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 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
  • 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 <3>
  • Winfred
    (18 miles [29 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 <3>
  • Franklin
    (19 miles [30.6 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
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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 the Vicinity of 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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Salem. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Salem and those printed in the larger area surrounding Salem.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6> of Salem.

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 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 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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions 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: 43.7253, Longitude: -97.3889    
<7>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