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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 Sitka (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 Sitka. 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 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.

Sitka is located in Walworth 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 Walworth County: Campbell, Corson, Dewey, Edmunds, McPherson & Potter.

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

  • Walworth County     (The home county of Sitka)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sitka, with the one closest to Sitka listed first.
    • Glenham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenham
      • Glenham is located in Walworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenham <2>
    • Selby
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selby
      • Selby is located in Walworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selby <2>
    • Mobridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Akaska
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Java
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Java
      • Java is located in Walworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Java <2>
    • Lowry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
      • Lowry is located in Walworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sitka, with the one closest to Sitka listed first.
    • Mound City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
      • Mound City is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound City <2>
    • Herreid
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herreid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herreid
      • Herreid is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herreid <2>
    • Pollock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pollock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollock
      • Pollock is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pollock <2>
  • Corson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sitka, with the one closest to Sitka listed first.
    • Wakpala
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeffrey ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeffrey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffrey
      • Jeffrey is located in Corson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 535 people
    • Trail City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trail City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trail City
      • Trail City is located in Corson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trail City <2>
    • Kenel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenel
      • Kenel is located in Corson County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 61 people
    • Mahto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Dewey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sitka, with the one closest to Sitka listed first.
    • Moreau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moreau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreau
      • Moreau is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21 people
    • Virginia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia
      • Virginia is located in Dewey County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 261 people
  • Edmunds County
    • Bowdle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Potter County
    • Hoven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Sitka ...

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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sitka.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sitka, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sitka.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Sitka:

Cemeteries Near Sitka ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sitka.

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

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

  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
  • Evarts Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evarts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evarts Cemetery
  • Selby Union Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Selby Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Selby Union Cemetery
  • Bangor Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bangor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bangor Cemetery
  • Congregational Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Congregational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Congregational Cemetery
  • Salzsiedler Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salzsiedler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salzsiedler Cemetery
  • Grace Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Cemetery
  • Old Zion Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Zion Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Akaska Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Peace Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peace Cemetery
  • Continue List   (53 more) ...
    • Brockels Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brockels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brockels Cemetery
    • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Java.
      • The St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Java Reformed Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2484493 <4>
    • Schnaible Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)

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>

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

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

  • Mound City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
    • Mound City is located in Campbell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound City <2>
  • Bowdle
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Hoven
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Sitka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sitka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.5169, Longitude: -100.1862       In this case, the coordinates for Sitka 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 Sitka, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024