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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 White Lake (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 White Lake. 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 White Lake ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for White Lake: White Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named White Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for White Lake.

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 southwest 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 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.

White Lake is located in Aurora 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 Aurora County: Brule, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Jerauld & Sanborn.

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

  • Aurora County     (The home county of White Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Plankinton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Aurora Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Aurora Center is located in Aurora County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora Center
    • Stickney
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Storla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Storla is located in Aurora County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storla
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6 people
  • Brule County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Kimball
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Lyonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lyonville is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
    • Eagle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Eagle is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
    • Pukwana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Bijou Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
    • Ola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Ola is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
      • Estimated population in 2014: 108 people
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Gann Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Shelby is located in Buffalo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
    • Crow Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Crow Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
  • Charles Mix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Platte
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Platte is located in Charles Mix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Platte <1>
    • Academy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Academy is located in Charles Mix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Academy
    • Platte Colony
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Platte Colony is located in Charles Mix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte Colony
      • Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
  • Davison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Mount Vernon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Loomis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Joubert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Joubert is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joubert
      • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
    • New Holland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Harrison
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Corsica
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hillside is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31 people
  • Jerauld County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Crow Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Crow Lake is located in Jerauld County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Lake
    • Wessington Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Lane
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Sanborn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Lake, with the one closest to White Lake listed first.
    • Cuthbert
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cuthbert is located in Sanborn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuthbert
    • Letcher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near White Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of White Lake.

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 White Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for White Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Crystal Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Bullis Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Plankinton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Margarets Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Larson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Gabrielson Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Quaker Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pleasant Grove Cemetery is located 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> to the south of Kimball.
    • The Pleasant Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Miller Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97389 <2>
  • Continue List   (60 more) ...
    • Old St. Paul Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dudley Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Aurora Center Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that White Lake had a population of 366 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, White Lake had a population of 365 people.

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

  • Plankinton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Kimball
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Crow Lake
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Crow Lake is located in Jerauld County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Lake
  • Lyonville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lyonville is located in Brule County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
    • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
  • Joubert
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Joubert is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joubert
    • Estimated population in 2014: 126 people
  • Eagle
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eagle is located in Brule County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
  • New Holland
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Harrison
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Vernon
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Pukwana
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Platte
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Platte is located in Charles Mix County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,257 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Platte <1>
  • Gann Valley
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Wessington Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Ola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Ola is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
      • Estimated population in 2014: 108 people
    • Bijou Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of White Lake ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around White Lake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of White Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of White Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding White Lake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of White Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 White Lake:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- White Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 White Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.