JD
James Donovan — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Will-County, Illinois
Our Model Tree links this James Donovan across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Will-County, Illinois (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Thomas & Gertrude — first a son (b.~1917), then head of a 6-person household.
Age 23
b. ~1917
Male
Son
Born: Illinois
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Will-County, Illinois |
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | James F. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 23 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Joliet |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Will |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | C 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
| Township / Ward | Joliet |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1917 |
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.
6 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to James | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Donovan | Head | — | 69 | ~1871 |
| Mary Donovan | Daughter | — | 25 | ~1915 |
| James Donovan | Son | — | 23 | ~1917 |
| Sheila Donovan | Other | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| Thomas Donovan | Son | — | 27 | ~1913 |
| Elizabeth Donahue | Other | — | 44 | ~1896 |
Census Appearances
1920
Will, Illinois
Son, age 3
Will, Illinois · implied b. ~1917 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 3 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Father's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Mother's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1930
Will, Illinois
Son, age 13
Will, Illinois · implied b. ~1917 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 13 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Father's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Mother's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Occupation | none |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1940
Will-County, Illinois
Son, age 23
Will-County, Illinois · implied b. ~1917 — 6 household members
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | James F. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 23 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Joliet |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Will |
| Highest Grade | C 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
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 Donovan across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Thomas Donovan (~0.92 confidence) and mother Gertrude Donovan (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 2 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Thomas Donovan
b. ~1870
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Gertrude Donovan
b. ~1878
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
James Donovan
Son · 1940 · age 23 · b. ~1917 · Illinois
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Mary Donovan
Sibling · 1940 · age 25
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Thomas Donovan
Sibling · 1940 · age 27
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 — Will-County, Illinois
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Will-County, Illinois
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00908-00045)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Thomas Donovan | 69 | Head | Attorney-At-Law | Illinois |
| 42 | James F. Donovan THIS PERSON | 23 | Son | — | Illinois |
| 43 | Thomas Jr. Donovan | 27 | Son | Attorney-At-Law | Illinois |
| 44 | Mary G. Donovan | 25 | Daughter | — | Illinois |
| 45 | Sheila Donovan | 4 | Grandchild | — | Illinois |
| 46 | Elizabeth Donahue | 44 | Keeper | Housekeeper | Illinois |
| 47 | Kathryn M. D'Arcy | 42 | Head | — | Illinois |
| 48 | Alice Mcintosh | 24 | Maid | Maid | Illinois |
| 49 | Augustus Bagnell | 61 | Head | Detective | Illinois |
| 50 | Mary B. Bagnell | 58 | Wife | — | Illinois |
| 51 | Alice J. Bagnell | 29 | Daughter | Cashier | Illinois |
| 52 | Rosalie G. Bagnell | 25 | Daughter | Stenographer | Illinois |
| 53 | Thomas K. Bagnell | 22 | Son | Office Boy | Illinois |
| 54 | Edward S. Sanders | 44 | Head | Salesman | Illinois |
| 55 | Etta Sanders | 39 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 56 | Marie L. Sanders | 17 | Daughter | New Worker | Illinois |
| 57 | Gloria M. Sanders | 14 | Daughter | — | Illinois |
| 58 | Bessie Mckenna | 50 | Head | — | Illinois |
| 59 | Emma Mckenna | 55 | Sister | Registered Nurse | Illinois |
| 60 | Margaret Haley | 51 | Head | Social Worker | Illinois |
| 61 | Madelaine Haley | 45 | Sister | — | Illinois |
| 62 | Genevieve Haley | 43 | Sister | Billing Clerk | Illinois |
| 63 | (Blank) (Blank) | None | (blank) | (Blank) | (blank) |
| 64 | Joseph P. Sullivan | 78 | Head | — | Virginia |
| 65 | Mary L. Sullivan | 45 | Daughter | Stenographer | Illinois |
| 66 | Raymond S. Glass | 32 | Head | — | Pennsylvania |
| 67 | Josephine Glass | 36 | Wife | — | Austria |
| 68 | Charles L. Berryman | 46 | Nephew | Salesman | New York |
| 69 | Anthony Harmon | 27 | Head | Clerk | Illinois |
| 70 | Elizabeth Harmon | 24 | Wife | Stenographer | Illinois |
| 71 | John H. Nelson | 33 | Head | Boiler Maker Helper | Iowa |
| 72 | Violet B. Nelson | 33 | Wife | — | Illinois |
| 73 | Herman F. Rother | 66 | Father-in-law | — | Germany |
| 74 | Lillian J. Swiggert | 29 | Sister-in-law | — | Illinois |
| 75 | James E. Swiggert | 2 | Nephew | — | Illinois |
| 76 | Margaret Donovan | 36 | Head | Typist | Illinois |
| 77 | Patricia Donovan | 12 | Daughter | — | Indiana |
| 78 | John Y. Fisher | 53 | Head | Car Repair Foreman | Illinois |
| 79 | Anna C. Fisher | 47 | Wife | — | Illinois |
| 80 | Eugene J. Fisher | 26 | Son | Salesman | Illinois |
Pedigree Summary
James + 2 siblings
Gen 1 · 2 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)