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James Cowan — 1920 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1920 United States Federal Census · Worcester, Massachusetts
Our Model Tree links this James Cowan across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Worcester, Massachusetts (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1877), then head of a 3-person household.
Age 43
b. ~1877
Male
Head
Born: Scotland
Married
1920 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1920 |
| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 43 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Year of Immigration | 1877 |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Mechanist |
| Industry | Construction |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Scottish |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
| Occupation | Mechanist |
| Township / Ward | Worcester City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1877 |
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.
3 people recorded at the same address in the 1920 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to James | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iona Cowan | Spouse | — | 40 | ~1880 |
| James Cowan | Head | — | 43 | ~1877 |
| Roy Cowan | Son | — | 19 | ~1901 |
Census Appearances
1920
Worcester, Massachusetts
Head, age 43
Worcester, Massachusetts · implied b. ~1877 — 3 household members
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 43 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Year of Immigration | 1877 |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Occupation | Mechanist |
| Industry | Construction |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Scottish |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
1930
Worcester, Massachusetts
Other, age 53
Worcester, Massachusetts · implied b. ~1877 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Father |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 53 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Year of Immigration | 1877 |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Occupation | Assembler |
| Industry | Factory |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | English |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
1940
Worcester-County, Massachusetts
Other, age 64
Worcester-County, Massachusetts · implied b. ~1876 — 9 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Lodger |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 64 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Worcester |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Worcester |
| Naturalization Status | Alien |
| Occupation | Press Hand |
| Industry | Metal Stamp |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 42 |
| Income (1939) | 496 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
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 James Cowan across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
James Cowan
Head · 1920 · age 43 · b. ~1877 · Massachusetts
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Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1920 US Federal Census — Worcester, Massachusetts
Open full size
1920 US Federal Census — Worcester, Massachusetts
Page Contents
50 people indexed on this census page (ia:1920:14thcensusofpopu749unit:0757)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francis H. Fagan | 50 | Head | Chauffeur | Ireland |
| 2 | Elisabeth T. Fagan | 38 | Wife | — | Ireland |
| 3 | Francis E. Mcphee | 32 | Head | Gardener | Canada |
| 4 | Nora E. Mcphee | 27 | Wife | — | Ireland |
| 5 | Francis B. Mcphee | 1 | Son | — | Massachusetts |
| 6 | Raymond A. Mcphee | 25 | Brother | Laborer | Canada |
| 7 | Stephen T. Heafney | 18 | Nephew | Report Boy | Massachusetts |
| 8 | John Anderson | 49 | Head | Janitor | Denmark |
| 9 | Katharine Anderson | 49 | Wife | — | Denmark |
| 10 | Magda Anderson | 22 | Daughter | Bookkeeper | Massachusetts |
| 11 | Olga R. Anderson | 16 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 12 | Arthur J. Anderson | 10 | Son | — | Massachusetts |
| 13 | Alexander J. Charron | 50 | Head | Machinist | Canada |
| 14 | Mary R. Charron | 46 | Wife | — | Massachusetts |
| 15 | Aurore L. Charron | 22 | Daughter | Bookkeeper | Canada |
| 16 | Valmore J. Hebert | 43 | Brother-in-law | Machinist | Canada |
| 17 | Carl A. Lund | 54 | Head | Laborer | Sweden |
| 18 | Emma Lund | 56 | Wife | — | Sweden |
| 19 | George E. Lund | 25 | Son | Brakeman | Vermont |
| 20 | Gertrude E. Lund | 19 | Daughter | Bookkeeper | Massachusetts |
| 21 | Hilding A. Lund | 18 | Son | Freight Handler | Massachusetts |
| 22 | Ruth Lund | 16 | Daughter | Housework | Massachusetts |
| 23 | Arthur J. Lafreniere | 29 | Head | Iron Worker | Massachusetts |
| 24 | Rose B. Lafreniere | 29 | Wife | — | Massachusetts |
| 25 | Mary Lafreniere | 2 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 26 | Helen F. Lafreniere | 0 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 27 | James Cowan THIS PERSON | 43 | Head | Mechanist | Scotland |
| 28 | Iona J. Cowan | 40 | Wife | — | Massachusetts |
| 29 | Roy B. Cowan | 19 | Son | Clerk | Massachusetts |
| 30 | George J. Barter | 31 | Head | Car Repairer | Massachusetts |
| 31 | Elizabeth M. Barter | 25 | Wife | — | Massachusetts |
| 32 | William J. Lyon | 62 | Head | Farmer | Massachusetts |
| 33 | Marie J. Lyon | 51 | Wife | — | Belgium |
| 34 | Elizabeth M. Lyon | 22 | Daughter | Teacher | Massachusetts |
| 35 | Isabelle H. Lyon | 20 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 36 | Rachel L. Lyon | 17 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 37 | Miriam P. Lyon | 15 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 38 | Lillian Falls | 19 | Boarder | — | Virginia |
| 39 | William J. Carberry | 25 | Head | Tinsmith | Massachusetts |
| 40 | Julia A. Carberry | 25 | Wife | — | Massachusetts |
| 41 | John F. Carberry | 3 | Son | — | Massachusetts |
| 42 | Helen M. Carberry | 1 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 43 | Alice T. Murray | 33 | Head | Operator | Massachusetts |
| 44 | Herman E. Williams | 36 | Head | Truckman | Canada |
| 45 | Catherine Williams | 35 | Wife | — | Germany |
| 46 | Marion J. Williams | 15 | Daughter | Inspector | Massachusetts |
| 47 | Dorothy G. Williams | 13 | Daughter | Inspector | Massachusetts |
| 48 | Ruth E. Williams | 11 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 49 | Florence J. Williams | 9 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
| 50 | Margaret C. Williams | 2 | Daughter | — | Massachusetts |
About This Record & Model Tree
This record was independently indexed by YourRoots from the 1920 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)