EN
Elmer Nelson — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · O'Brien-County, Iowa
Our Model Tree links this Elmer Nelson across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in O'Brien-County, Iowa (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Malloy & Milton — first a head (b.~1901), then head of a 4-person household.
Age 39
b. ~1901
Male
Head
Born: Iowa
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | O'Brien-County, Iowa |
| Surname | Nelson |
| Given Name | Elmer A. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 39 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Sheldon |
| 1935 Residence (County) | O'Brien |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Ins. Salesman |
| Industry | Insurance |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 48 |
| Income (1939) | 436 |
| Highest Grade | C-3 |
| 1935 Residence | Iowa |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
| Occupation | Ins. Salesman |
| Township / Ward | Omega Twp |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1901 |
Household Members
Census records only state relationship to the household head.
Pairwise kinship is derived (~90–95% accurate), not recorded.
Step/blended families and boarders can break it.
4 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to Elmer | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby Nelson | Spouse | — | 39 | ~1901 |
| Elmer Nelson | Head | — | 39 | ~1901 |
| Carole Nelson | Daughter | — | 5 | ~1935 |
| Charles Nelson | Son | — | 8 | ~1932 |
Census Appearances
1920
O Brien, …
Son, age 19
O Brien, Iowa · implied b. ~1901 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Nelson |
| Given Name | Elmer |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 19 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| Father's Birthplace | Sweden |
| Mother's Birthplace | Sweden |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Swedish |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
1930
O Brien, …
Son, age 29
O Brien, Iowa · implied b. ~1901 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Nelson |
| Given Name | Elmer |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 29 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| Father's Birthplace | Sweden |
| Mother's Birthplace | Sweden |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Industry | Flour & Feed |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
1940
O'Brien-County, Iowa
Head, age 39
O'Brien-County, Iowa · implied b. ~1901 — 4 household members
| Surname | Nelson |
| Given Name | Elmer A. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 39 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Sheldon |
| 1935 Residence (County) | O'Brien |
| Occupation | Ins. Salesman |
| Industry | Insurance |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 48 |
| Income (1939) | 436 |
| Highest Grade | C-3 |
| 1935 Residence | Iowa |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
Model Tree
An inferred pedigree reconstructed from census links — up to 4 generations within the 1900–1950 window. Closer generations are built from household co-residence; deeper ones are bridged by following a relative to their own childhood census. Confidence compounds and weakens with each generation.
Our Model Tree links Elmer Nelson across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Malloy Nelson (~0.92 confidence) and father Milton Nelson (~0.92 confidence) and mother Bessie Nelson (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 3 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Malloy Nelson
b. ~1876
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Milton Nelson
b. ~1877
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Bessie Nelson
b. ~1877
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
Elmer Nelson
Head · 1940 · age 39 · b. ~1901 · Iowa
★ You are viewing this record
Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — O'Brien-County, Iowa
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — O'Brien-County, Iowa
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01187-00518)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie W. West | 56 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 2 | Maude West | 54 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 3 | Harry H. Paulsen | 46 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 4 | Millie M. Paulsen | 40 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 5 | Ellen E. Paulsen | 16 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 6 | Fern M. Paulsen | 14 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 7 | Ruth M. Paulsen | 12 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 8 | Emery H. Paulsen | 10 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 9 | Wayne V. Paulsen | 8 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 10 | Curtis A. Paulsen | 5 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 11 | Leo J. Frembgen | 39 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 12 | Agnes M. Frembgen | 42 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 13 | Ruth M. Frembgen | 13 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 14 | Kenneth D. Frembgen | 10 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 15 | Robert L. Frembgen | 5 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 16 | John Fahrenkrog | 35 | Hired hand | Farm Laborer | Iowa |
| 17 | Lewis H. Wilson | 52 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 18 | Jessie P. Wilson | 50 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 19 | Rex W. Ab. Wilson | 19 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 20 | Neva D. Wilson | 16 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 21 | Wilson L. F. Wilson | 83 | Mother | — | Iowa |
| 22 | Elmer A. Nelson THIS PERSON | 39 | Head | Ins. Salesman | Iowa |
| 23 | Ruby G. Nelson | 39 | Wife | Pub. School Teacher | Iowa |
| 24 | Charles M. Nelson | 8 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 25 | Carole G. Nelson | 5 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 26 | Addie L. Ennis | 59 | Head | — | Iowa |
| 27 | Merlin G. Ennis | 25 | Son | Farmer | Iowa |
| 28 | Nellie J. Ennis | 19 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 29 | Howard Lyons | 25 | Hired hand | Farm Laborer | Iowa |
| 30 | F. C. Pollman | 77 | Head | — | Germany |
| 31 | Harvey Pollman | 39 | Son | Farm Laborer | Iowa |
| 32 | Charlie F. Pollman | 49 | Son | Farm Laborer | Iowa |
| 33 | Elsie Pollman | 44 | Daughter in law | — | Iowa |
| 34 | Taylor E. Ennis | 30 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 35 | Luella L. Ennis | 31 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 36 | Darwin S. Ennis | 9 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 37 | Janice Mm Ennis | 7 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 38 | Duaine J. Ennis | 4 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 39 | Adelia M. Puck | 62 | Mother in law | House Keeper | Iowa |
| 40 | Roger Sauls | 18 | Hired hand | Farm Laborer | Iowa |
Pedigree Summary
Elmer
Gen 1 · 3 parents
~0.92
Max depth 4 (1900–1950 window)
About This Record & Model Tree
This record was independently indexed by YourRoots from the 1940 United States Federal Census (NARA). Our Model Tree links this person across census decades using XGBoost-based record linkage, with per-link confidence scores. Household corroboration strengthens the signal when co-residents appear on the same census pages in multiple years.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)