JC
James Cowan — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Bertie-County, North Carolina
Our Model Tree links this James Cowan across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Bertie-County, North Carolina (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a son (b.~1928), then head of a 9-person household.
Age 12
b. ~1928
Male
Son
Born: North Carolina
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Bertie-County, North Carolina |
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 12 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Woodville |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Bertie |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | No 5 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
| Township / Ward | Woodville |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1928 |
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.
9 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to James | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Ruffin | Other | — | ~1940 | |
| Nese Cowan | Spouse | — | 44 | ~1896 |
| Shirley Cowan | Other | — | 3 | ~1937 |
| George Cowan | Son | — | 20 | ~1920 |
| James Cowan | Son | — | 12 | ~1928 |
| Feather Cowan | Daughter | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Eddie Cowan | Head | — | 43 | ~1897 |
| Mary Cowan | Daughter | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| Jessie Cowan | Son | — | 10 | ~1930 |
Census Appearances
1930
Martin, North …
Son, age 1
Martin, North Carolina · implied b. ~1929 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowen |
| Given Name | James L. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 1 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
1940
Bertie-County, North …
Son, age 12
Bertie-County, North Carolina · implied b. ~1928 — 9 household members
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 12 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Woodville |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Bertie |
| Highest Grade | No 5 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
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 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
James Cowan
Son · 1940 · age 12 · b. ~1928 · North Carolina
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
George Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 20
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Mary Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 14
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Feather Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 17
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Jessie Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 10
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Bertie-County, North Carolina
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Bertie-County, North Carolina
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02874-00666)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Cowan | 43 | Head | Farmer | Same place |
| 2 | Nese Cowan | 44 | Wife | — | Same place |
| 3 | George Eddie Cowan | 20 | Son | — | Same place |
| 4 | Feather Cowan | 17 | Daughter | Laundress | Same place |
| 5 | Mary B. Cowan | 14 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 6 | James Cowan THIS PERSON | 12 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 7 | Jessie Cowan | 10 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 8 | Shirley Jean Cowan | 3 | Adopted daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 9 | Ray Ruffin | 0 | Grandson | — | North Carolina |
| 10 | Walter Veale | 39 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 11 | Clara Veale | 34 | Wife | Housekeeper | North Carolina |
| 12 | Mary Veale | 18 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 13 | Endell Veale | 16 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 14 | Willie Veale | 11 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 15 | Otis Veale | 10 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 16 | Ruth Veale | 4 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 17 | James Veale | 1 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 18 | George Veale | 36 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 19 | Maggie Veale | 35 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 20 | Daisy Veale | 14 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 21 | William Veale | 13 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 22 | Mary Veale | 11 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 23 | Florence Veale | 10 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 24 | Flossie Veale | 10 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 25 | Fannie Veale | 7 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 26 | James Cowan | 63 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 27 | Morella Cowan | 32 | Daughter | Housekeeper | North Carolina |
| 28 | Georgia Mae Cowan | 16 | Daughter | Laundress | North Carolina |
| 29 | Tom Henry Cowan | 13 | Grandson | — | North Carolina |
| 30 | Van Dora Cowan | 12 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 31 | Mae Lilly Cowan | 10 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 32 | Ruth Cowan | 6 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 33 | Eloise Cowan | 5 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 34 | Leon Cowan | 4 | Grandson | — | North Carolina |
| 35 | Lorenia Cowan | 2 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 36 | Curtis Cowan | 26 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 37 | Oliver Lee | 50 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 38 | Mary Lee | 47 | Wife | Housekeeper | North Carolina |
| 39 | Christopher Lee | 17 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 40 | Venus Lee | 15 | Son | — | North Carolina |
Related Census Records
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)