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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 Vilas (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 Vilas. 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 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.

Vilas is located in Miner 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 Miner County: Beadle, Hanson, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook & Sanborn.

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

  • Miner County     (The home county of Vilas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Howard
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Roswell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Canova
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Fedora
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Carthage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Davison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Loomis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loomis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
      • Loomis is located in Davison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loomis <1>
    • Mitchell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • River Bluff Addition
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for River Bluff Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Bluff Addition
      • River Bluff Addition is located in Davison County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 13 people
  • Hanson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Epiphany
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Farwell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farwell
      • From Vilas to Farwell
    • Farmer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Plano
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Fulton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Alexandria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Emery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Kingsbury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Esmond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
      • Esmond is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
    • Oldham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
      • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
    • Manchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
    • De Smet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lake Preston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Iroquois
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Winfred
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Junius
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Ramona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Prairie Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Franklin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Peninsula Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Nunda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nunda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunda
      • Nunda is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunda <1>
  • McCook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Unityville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in McCook County
    • Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Montrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sanborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
    • Artesian
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artesian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesian
      • Artesian is located in Sanborn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesian <1>
    • Forestburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Letcher
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Letcher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letcher
      • Letcher is located in Sanborn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Letcher <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Vilas ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vilas.

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

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

  • Graceland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Roswell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roswell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roswell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • 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.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Canova Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canova Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canova Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Belleview Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Morgans Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morgans Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morgans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fedora Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fedora Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fedora Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Winfred Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Berton Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Berton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Berton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Vilas had a population of 220 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Vilas had a population of 19 people.

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

  • Howard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Roswell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Canova
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Winfred
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Carthage
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Artesian
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artesian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesian
    • Artesian is located in Sanborn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesian <1>
  • Farwell
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Farwell
    • From Vilas to Farwell
  • Spencer
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Esmond
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
    • Esmond is located in Kingsbury County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
  • Farmer
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Ramona
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Oldham
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
    • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Orland ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Fulton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 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 Vilas. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vilas.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Vilas ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vilas.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Vilas. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Vilas and those printed in the larger area surrounding Vilas.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<7> of Vilas.

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 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 Vilas:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Vilas. 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>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.
<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>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 Vilas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Vilas) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vilas. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.0086, Longitude: -97.5953       In this case, the coordinates for Vilas have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025