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 Sorum 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 Sorum 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 Sorum 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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Sorum Heights: Sorum 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Sorum Heights is located in Minnehaha County.
To see how the shape of South Dakota's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Minnehaha County: Lyon (IA), Rock (MN), Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Moody & Turner.
Below are the counties that are near Sorum Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sorum Heights:
- Minnehaha County (The home county of Sorum Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Renner Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Renner Corner is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renner Corner
- Population from the 2010 Census: 305 people
- Renner
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Meadow View Addition
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Meadow View Addition is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow View Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 538 people
- Midway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Midway is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Estimated population in 2014: 123 people
- Crooks
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Norton Acres
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Norton Acres is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton Acres
- Population from the 2010 Census: 342 people
- Baltic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Sioux Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Brandon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Lakes Addition
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Lakes Addition is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 314 people
- Ellis Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ellis Corner is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Corner
- Estimated population in 2014: 99 people
- Webster Grove Addition
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Webster Grove Addition is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster Grove Addition
- Estimated population in 2014: 156 people
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Chester
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Brant Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brant Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant Lake
- Franklin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Estimated population in 2014: 333 people
- Peninsula Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Peninsula Park is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peninsula Park
- Estimated population in 2014: 32 people
- Wentworth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Shindler
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Shindler is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
- Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
- Harrisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Tea
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Worthing
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lennox
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Canton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- McCook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Montrose
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Canistota
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Moody County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Trent
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Lone Tree
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lone Tree is located in Moody County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Tree
- Estimated population in 2014: 14 people
- Sioux Falls Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Sioux Falls Junction is located in Moody County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sioux Falls Junction
- Estimated population in 2014: 119 people
- Colman
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Egan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Flandreau
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Turner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Chancellor
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Monroe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parker
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Davis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lyon County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Larchwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Klondike
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Klondike is located in Lyon County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Lester
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lester is located in Lyon County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Beloit
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Beloit is located in Lyon County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Inwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Alvord
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pipestone County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Jasper Sunrise Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jasper Sunrise Village is located in Pipestone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper Sunrise Village
- Jasper
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jasper is located in Pipestone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper
- Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
- Ihlen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Trosky
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Airlie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Airlie is located in Pipestone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
- Pipestone
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rock County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Manley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Manley is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
- Beaver Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Beaver Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
- Bruce
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Hills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Luverne
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Steen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Steen is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Ash Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Hardwick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sorum Heights, see our County-by-County Page for Sorum Heights.
Cemeteries Near Sorum Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sorum 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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Sorum Heights - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sorum Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Berg Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Minnehaha Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Hills of Rest Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Brandon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Norway Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lyons Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- St. Olaf Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (117 more) ...
- Summit Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Stordahl Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- South Beaver Valley Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Sorum Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sorum Heights.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sorum Heights, with the one closest to Sorum Heights listed first.
- Baltic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Sioux Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Brandon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Corson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Corson is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corson
- Ellis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ellis is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Lyons
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Sioux Falls
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Sioux Falls is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sioux Falls
- Hartford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Garretson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dell Rapids
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Shindler
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Shindler is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
- Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
- Rowena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Booge
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Booge is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booge
- Valley Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sherman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sherman is located in Minnehaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sorum Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sorum Heights.
Newspapers Published in Sorum 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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sorum Heights.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sorum Heights, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sorum Heights.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Sorum Heights:
- Websites specific to South Dakota
- Pages specific to Minnehaha County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lake County
- Lincoln County
- McCook County
- Moody County
- Turner County
- Lyon County
- Pipestone County
- Rock County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Dakota
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 Sorum Heights, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sorum Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |