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Welcome to 

Codington County,

South Dakota 

Genealogy & History

 

Communties in Codington County include: 
Florence, Foley, Grover, Kampeska, Rauville, South Shore, Wallace and Watertown.  The county seat is Watertown.


CODINGTON COUNTY GENEALOGY RESOURCES

Attention:  Due to an error, some recent queries may have been lost.  Please resubmit your query if you find that it is no longer on the queries page. 

QUERIES ]  [ VOLUNTEER LOOKUPS
[ Phipps Township residents in the 1930 Census ]
PUBLISHED RESOURCES - see an online index by Kevin Wells!] 
[ ADDRESSES to use for Codington County Research ]
Townships & Towns ]  [ 1889 Codington County Map

[For South Dakota Birth Records With Birth Dates Over 100 Years ] 
[Where to obtain Birth, Marriage and Death Records] [Information about Vital Records]

Bureau of Land Managment Database for South Dakota for
Codington County - [A-C] [D-H] [I-M] [N-R] [S-U] [V-Z]
[The 1885 Census Index of the Dakota Territory] 
[ Penny Postcards from Codington County ]
[Codington County Cemeteries]
[Codington County ARCHIVES]
[South Dakota statewide GenWeb ARCHIVES]

[SDGENWEB Archives]
[South Dakota State Historical Society/  Office of History]
[Genealogy Links for Codington County Research ]
[ Native American Links ]  [ More Maps & Directories ]
[ SDGENWEB Codington County ARCHIVES ]

[ USGenWeb Archives ]



If you find a problem with this site, or have a suggestion please contact Ann Mensch.

 SDGENWEB

Visit the neighboring SDGenWeb counties: 
To the north:  Day County and Grant County
To the east: Deuel County
To the west: Clark County
To the south: Hamlin County

 

VOLUNTEER LOOKUPS



Can you Volunteer to do Genealogy related Lookups in Codington County, SD Resources? 
mail your resource name to Ann - Subject: Codington County:
Holy Rosary Parish, Kranzburg, South Dakota, 1879-1979:
Lookups in this book are generously offered by Lori Krei  The Holy Rosary Parish is part of the diocese of Sioux Falls.  This book contains: a history of Kranzburg and the parish; church tidbits, organizations, town development, school information including faculty from 1908-1979; its founders, and members as of 1979; pictures and notes about all the bishops from Sioux Falls until 1979.  It also contains the first members of the congregation, baptisms from 1879 to 1881, deaths from 1880 to 1884, marriages from 1880-1883. 
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Addresses for Codington County, SD Research



The County Seat for Codington County is Watertown, SD

 

CEMETERIES in Codington County     

Dexter Township

Ø Dexter Church & Cemetery (Sec. 10, T120N, R54W; est. ca. 1910; was United Brethren Church, became United Methodist Church; building destroyed in 1944)

Ø Helgen Cemetery (Sec. 14, T120N, R54W; est. ca. 1880 as Garfield Norwegian Evangelical Luthern Church; renamed 1884 to Helgen Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church; church removed in 1964 to Florence as New Helgen Church)

Ø Bergen Church & Cemetery (Sec. 29, T120N, R52W, est. 1907)

Eden Township

Ø St. Pauli Lutheran Church & Cemetery (Sec. 11, T119N, R55W)

Ø Goodhue Lutheran Church & Cemetery (Sec. 5, T119N, R55W)

Elmira Township

Elmira Township includes a large portion of the city of Watertown, SD.

Ø Mt. Hope Cemetery (Sec. 29, T117N, R52W)

·         Mount Hope Cemetery gravestones online at findagrave.com

Ø St. Mary's Cemetery: located by the eastern edge of the City of Watertown, SD (Latitude:  445327N,  Longitude:  0970501W)

·        St. Mary’s Cemetery Gravestones online at findagrave.com

Fuller Township

Fuller Township includes the town of Florence, SD; the Esterly community was located in section 5, T199N, R53W.

Ø Catholic Cemetery (Sec. 5, T119N, R53W; Catholic church removed to Florence)

Ø Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (Catholic church removed to Florence from Esterly)

Germantown Township

Ø St. Luke's Lutheran Church & Cemetery (Sec. 26, T119N, R52W; est. 1888, later joined South Shore)

Ø Klix Cemetery (Private) (Sec. 10, T119N, R52W)

Graceland Township

Ø Graceland Cemetery (Sec. 7, T117N, R55W; United Brethren Church, est. 1892 is no longer in use; cemetery remains)

·        Online Gravestones in Graceland Cemetery at findagrave.com

Henry Township

The town of Henry is located in Henry Township.

Ø St. Henry's Catholic Church & Cemetery (T116N, R55W; in Henry, SD)

Ø Lorinda Cemetery: located at Henry, SD;  Latitude:  445331N,  Longitude: 0972706W

o   Lorinda Cemetery Gravestones at findagrave.com

Kampeska Township

Ø Kampeska Cemetery - located by Kampeska, SD in T116N, R54W  (Latitude:  445213N,  Longitude:  0971640W)

Kranzburg Township

Ø Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery - located by Kranzburg, SD (Latitude:  445341N,  Longitude:  0965506W )

o   Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery Gravestones online at findagrave.com

Lake Township

 

Leola Township

 

Pelican Township

 

Phipps Township

 

Rauville Township

Ø St. John's Lutheran Church &Cemetery: located in section 9, T 119N, R 51W.

 

Richland Township

 

Sheridan Township

 

Waverly Township

Ø St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery - located by Waverly, SD (Latitude:  445947N,  Longitude:  0965811W)

 

  • Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.

 
 

Current Codington County Newspapers include:

Older Newspapers may be available on microfilm at the State Archives in Pierre, SD

See South Dakota State Resources


South Dakota State Resources

·         FamilySearch Records Search (Pilot Site) – includes 1905, 1915, and 1925 South Dakota State Census

 

Mercedes MacKay Building
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD  57501-2294

Older Newspapers may be available on microfilm at the State Archives in Pierre, SD

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More Genealogy Links for Codington County Research 


Official State of South Dakota's Home Page
South Dakota Time Line

Homesteading in SD

South Dakota Treasure Chest for 4th Grade History (fur trade, railroads, homesteading, and more)
NARA - National Archives and Record Administration Genealogy Page
South Dakota State Library
South Dakota State Historical Society

State Archives Newspaper Repository

    FamilySearch - LDS

FamilySearch Records Search (Pilot Site) – includes 1905, 1915, and 1925 South Dakota State Census

Social Security Death Index Interactive Search, on Rootsweb

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 Map of Codington County about 1889


  • The map above is from Glimpse of a Marvelous City, Watertown in 1889. 

L. D. Lyon (Compiler).  Watertown:  City Council.  1889. 


More MAPS & DIRECTORIES 


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Townships & Towns in Codington County, SD

COMMUNITIES in Codington County include: 


Dexter (historical), Esterly (historical), Florence, Foley, Grover, Henry, Kampeska, Kranzburg, Rauville, South Shore, Wallace, Watertown, and Waverly.

The county seat is Watertown.

  TOWNSHIP  -  Additional information  -  Some Early Settlers -  Towns, City & Villages


  DEXTER TOWNSHIP - Townships 119-120N; Ranges 52-53W
organized 1889
           (There was a town of Dexter located in Section 9.) 

Cemeteries include:

Ø Dexter Church & Cemetery (Sec. 10, T120N, R54W; est. ca. 1910; was United Brethren Church, became United Methodist Church; building destroyed in 1944)

Ø Helgen Cemetery (Sec. 14, T120N, R54W; est. ca. 1880 as Garfield Norwegian Evangelical Luthern Church; renamed 1884 to Helgen Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church; church removed in 1964 to Florence as New Helgen Church)

Ø Bergen Church & Cemetery (Sec. 29, T120N, R52W, est. 1907)



  EDEN TOWNSHIP - Township119N, Range 55W

Cemeteries include:

Ø St. Pauli Lutheran Church & Cemetery (Sec. 11, T119N, R55W)

Ø Goodhue Lutheran Church & Cemetery (Sec. 5, T119N, R55W)


  ELMIRA TOWNSHIP - Township 117N, Range 52W
contains the original portion of  the City of Watertown

      Cemeteries include:

Ø Mount Hope Cemetery: located on the northeastern edge of the City of Watertown, SD;  Latitude:  445459N,  Longitude:  0970555W

·         online Mount Hope Cemetery gravestones at findagrave.com

Ø St. Mary's Cemetery: located by the eastern edge of the City of Watertown, SD (Latitude:  445327N,  Longitude:  0970501W)

o   St. Mary’s Cemetery Gravestones online at findagrave.com


  FULLER TOWNSHIP - Townships 118-119N, Ranges 53-54W
contains the town of  Florence.  The settlement of Esterly was also located within Fuller Township.


  GERMANTOWN TOWNSHIP, - Townships 119-120N, Ranges 51-52W

       Cemeteries include:

Ø St. Luke's Lutheran Cemetery, Township 119N Range 52W. About  7 miles west of South Shore.  This cemetery is in section 26. The church no longer exists, but the cemetery remains.

Ø Klix Cemetery (private)
 


  GRACELAND TOWNSHIP - Township117N, Range 55W

       Cemeteries include:

Ø Graceland Cemetery:  located in the northeastern quarter of section 7, north of Henry, SD.

Graceland Cemetery (Sec. 7, T117N, R55W; United Brethren Church, est. 1892 is no longer in use; cemetery remains)

Online Gravestones in Graceland Cemetery at findagrave.com


   HENRY TOWNSHIP - Township116N, Range 55W
contains the town of Henry. 

       Cemeteries include:

Ø Lorinda Cemetery: located at Henry, SD;  Latitude:  445331N,  Longitude: 0972706W

o   Lorinda Cemetery Gravestones at findagrave.com

Ø St. Henry's Catholic Church & Cemetery (T116N, R55W; in Henry, SD)


   KAMPESKA TOWNSHIP - Township116N, Range 54W 
contains the towns of Grover and Kampeska.

       Cemeteries include: 

Ø Kampeska Cemetery - located by Kampeska, SD in T116N, R54W  (Latitude:  445213N,  Longitude:  0971640W)


   KRANZBURG TOWNSHIP - Township117N, Range 51W
contains the town of Kranzburg.

Cemeteries include: 

Ø Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery - located by Kranzburg, SD (Latitude:  445341N,  Longitude:  0965506W)

o   Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery Gravestones online at findagrave.com

o   Holy Rosary Parish, Kranzburg, South Dakota  1879-1979:  Lookups in this book are generously offered by Lori Krei.


   LAKE TOWNSHIP - Township117N, Range 53W
contains a portion of the town of Watertown which also extends into the townships of Sheridan, Elmira, and Pelican.


   LEOLA TOWNSHIP - Township119N, Range 51W
contains the town of South Shore.


   PELICAN TOWNSHIP - Township116N, Range 53W
contains portion of Watertown, which also extends into the townships of Lake, Elmira, and Sheridan.


   PHIPPS TOWNSHIP - Township118N, Range 55W


   RAUVILLE TOWNSHIP - Townships 118-119N, Ranges 52-53W
contains the town of Rauville.

       Cemeteries include:

Ø St. John's Lutheran Church and Cemetery: located in section 9, T 119N, R 51W.


   RICHLAND TOWNSHIP - Township117N, Range 54W


   SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP - Township116N, Range 52W
contains a portion of Watertown.


   WAVERLY TOWNSHIP - Townships 117-118N, Range 51W
contains the town of Waverly.

       Cemeteries include:

Ø St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery - located by Waverly, SD   (Latitude:  445947N,  Longitude:  0965811W)

 
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Native American Genealogy Resources



Codington County Published Resources: 

The First 100 Years in Codington County, 1879-1979.  Codington County History Book Committee.  Barbara Miller (Editor), Shirley Haines and Mary Tesch (Associate Editors).  Watertown Public Opinion Print.  1979. 
The Index to The First 100 Years in Codington County, 1879-1979, by Kevin Wells, is no longer available online.  Thank you Kevin for allowing its use for so long, and best wishes!



Holy Rosary Parish, Kranzburg, South Dakota,  1879-1979.  (A history of the Catholic Church Parish).
   Lookups in this book are generously offered by Lori Krei



Glimpse of a Marvelous City, Watertown in 1889.  L. D. Lyon (Compiler).  Watertown:  City Council, ca. 1889.



75th Anniversary Souvenir Program; a Book Containing Pictures and Short Historical Sketches of the Early Days of Watertown, South Dakota.   Watertown SD : Historical Booklet Committee, 1954.



Centennial Jubilee of the City of Watertown; Centennial Edition.  Watertown Public Opinion.  (Author).  Watertown, S.D. : [s.n.], 1979.



The Early and Territorial History of Codington County. Wright Tarbell.  (Author).  Pierre, S.D. : South Dakota State Historical Society, 1949.



Glimpses of Our Town, 1882-1982.  Henry History Book Committee.  (Author).  [S.l. : s.n.], 1982.



Grandma's Watertown Story : the First Quarter of Watertown's Century.  Florence Bruhn.  (Author).  [Watertown, S.D.] : Watertown Public Opinion, 1979.



Heritage Sampler : a Sampling of Stories and Essays about People and Places in the History of Codington County.  Vel Stokke.  (Author).  Watertown, SD : Watertown Public Opinion, ca. 1975.



History of Our County and State : [Codington County].  Donald Dean Parker.  (Author).  [Brookings, S.D.] : South Dakota State College, [1960].



A History of Watertown, South Dakota, 1878-1900.  Gary L. Spawn.  (Author).  Vermillion : University of South Dakota, 1970 (Thesis, University of S.D.).



Historical Articles from Codington County.  Codington County Home Extension Clubs.  (Author).  [Watertown, S.D. : [s.n.] 1972].



Historical Material Related to the Settling of Codington County and Watertown.  Wright Tarbell, comp.  (Author).  [S.l.] : [s.n.] n.d.



Pictorial History of Codington County, South Dakota.  Joanita Kant, Virginia Allen, and Stanley W. Allen, Jr., eds.  (Authors).  Codington County Historical Preservation Commission, Dallas, Tex. : Taylor Publishing Company, 1987.



South Shore, South Dakota. Diamond Jubilee. 1903 - 1978, June 16, 17, 18.   [S.l. : s.n., 1978?].



Souvenir and History... South Shore, South Dakota, Golden Jubilee 1953.  [S.l. : s.n., 1953].



Wallace, 75th Jubilee, June 27 & 28, 1981. Wallace, South Dakota. 1906-1981.  Wallace SD : Wallace Jubilee Committee, 1981.

 

·         Name Index to “The Early and Territorial History of Codington County,” by Wright Tarbell.  (This document appears in SD Historical Collections, Vol. XXIV, (pp. 276-469).

 


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·         Codington County Queries

·         Codington County Published Resources

·         Addresses to use for Codington County Research

·         Homesteading in SD

·         Return to SDGENWEB  



 

About the South Dakota GenWeb Project

In June, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the SDGENWEB (The South Dakota Genealogical Website Project). The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in South Dakota, where collected databases would be stored. In addition, these databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index.  At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of databases and generally oversee the contents of the web sites. The person responsible for this county is Ann Mensch (mensch-family@att.net). Contact her if you have any data to add to the Codington County archives.

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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000-2009 by Ann Mensch.  All Rights Reserved.


This page was last modified on Monday, 3 July 2009.