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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 Wecota (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 Wecota. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Wecota is located in Faulk 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 Faulk County: Brown, Edmunds, Hand, Hyde, Potter & Spink.

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

  • Faulk County     (The home county of Wecota)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wecota, with the one closest to Wecota listed first.
    • Millard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Faulk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Millard
      • From Wecota to Millard
    • Cresbard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cresbard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresbard
      • Cresbard is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cresbard <3>
    • Faulkton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Devoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devoe
      • Devoe is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
    • Miranda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Onaka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Chelsea
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chelsea have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
      • Chelsea is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
    • Orient
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Seneca
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Rockham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
      • Rockham is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <3>
    • Zell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
      • Zell is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
  • Brown County
  • Edmunds County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wecota, with the one closest to Wecota listed first.
    • Powell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Loyalton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loyalton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyalton
      • Loyalton is located in Edmunds County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Loyalton
      • From Wecota to Loyalton
    • Beebe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Ipswich
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Craven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Craven Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Roscoe
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roscoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Roscoe is located in Edmunds County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <3>
    • Mina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gretna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gretna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Gretna is located in Edmunds County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 52 people
  • Hand County
    • Polo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polo
      • Polo is located in Hand County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 227 people
  • Potter County
  • Spink County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wecota, with the one closest to Wecota listed first.
    • Northville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northville
      • Northville is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northville <3>
    • Duxbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duxbury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duxbury
      • Duxbury is located in Spink County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 531 people
    • Mellette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mellette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellette
      • Mellette is located in Spink County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mellette <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Wecota ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wecota.

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

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

  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Myron Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Millard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Millard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Millard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cresbard Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cresbard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cresbard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hope Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hope 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 northeast)
  • Faulkton Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faulkton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faulkton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Loyalton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Loyalton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Loyalton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Saint Johns Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Devoe Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Devoe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Devoe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Herbert Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Bass Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bass Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bass Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • United Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the United Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the United Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Miranda Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miranda Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miranda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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 Wecota in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wecota.

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

  • Millard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
    • Millard is located in Faulk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Millard
    • From Wecota to Millard
  • Cresbard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cresbard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresbard
    • Cresbard is located in Faulk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cresbard <3>
  • Faulkton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Powell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Loyalton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loyalton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyalton
    • Loyalton is located in Edmunds County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Loyalton
    • From Wecota to Loyalton
  • Burkmere
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burkmere have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkmere
    • Burkmere is located in Faulk County
  • Devoe
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devoe
    • Devoe is located in Faulk County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 23 people
  • Miranda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Orient
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Ipswich
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Seneca
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Roscoe
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roscoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Roscoe is located in Edmunds County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <3>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Rockham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockham
      • Rockham is located in Faulk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockham <3>
    • Mina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Zell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
      • Zell is located in Faulk County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wecota ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wecota.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wecota. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wecota and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wecota.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Wecota.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Wecota:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wecota. 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>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wecota) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wecota. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.1727, Longitude: -99.1174    
<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 Wecota, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025