JF
James Finley — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Shelby-County, Alabama
Our Model Tree links this James Finley across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Shelby-County, Alabama (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Burnard & Henry — first a son (b.~1915), then head of a 5-person household.
Age 25
b. ~1915
Male
Son
Born: Alabama
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Shelby-County, Alabama |
| Surname | Finley |
| Given Name | James E |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 25 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Bibb |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Arc Welder |
| Industry | Mine |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 35 |
| Income (1939) | 960 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Alabama |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
| Occupation | Arc Welder |
| Township / Ward | Boothton |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1915 |
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.
5 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to James | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fannie Finley | Spouse | — | 44 | ~1896 |
| J Finley | Head | — | 53 | ~1887 |
| Margaret Finley | Daughter | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| Ellis Finley | Son | — | 18 | ~1922 |
| James Finley | Son | — | 25 | ~1915 |
Census Appearances
1920
Shelby, Alabama
Son, age 4
Shelby, Alabama · implied b. ~1916 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Finley |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 4 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| Father's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Mother's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
1930
Shelby, Alabama
Son, age 15
Shelby, Alabama · implied b. ~1915 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Finley |
| Given Name | James |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 15 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| Father's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Mother's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
1940
Shelby-County, Alabama
Son, age 25
Shelby-County, Alabama · implied b. ~1915 — 5 household members
| Surname | Finley |
| Given Name | James E |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 25 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Bibb |
| Occupation | Arc Welder |
| Industry | Mine |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 35 |
| Income (1939) | 960 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Alabama |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
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 Finley across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Burnard Finley (~0.92 confidence) and father Henry Finley (~0.92 confidence) and father J Finley (~0.92 confidence) and mother Essie Finley (~0.92 confidence) and mother Elsie Finley (~0.92 confidence) and mother Fannie Finley (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 6 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Burnard Finley
b. ~1869
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Henry Finley
b. ~1880
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
J Finley
b. ~1887
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Essie Finley
b. ~1889
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Elsie Finley
b. ~1895
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Fannie Finley
b. ~1896
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
James Finley
Son · 1940 · age 25 · b. ~1915 · Alabama
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Ellis Finley
Sibling · 1940 · age 18
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Margaret Finley
Sibling · 1940 · age 15
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 — Shelby-County, Alabama
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Shelby-County, Alabama
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00079-00769)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virgil C Orman | 14 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 2 | Jay C Orman | 12 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 3 | Louise J Orman | 7 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 4 | Grover Green | 32 | Head | Miner | Alabama |
| 5 | Mildred Green | 32 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 6 | Daniel Green | 10 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 7 | Edna E Green | 8 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 8 | Bonnie F Green | 5 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 9 | William Gentry | 48 | Head | Miner | Alabama |
| 10 | Mary E Gentry | 43 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 11 | Louise Gentry | 22 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 12 | William Gentry | 20 | Son | Miner | Alabama |
| 13 | Paul Gentry | 18 | Son | Miner | Alabama |
| 14 | Virgil Gentry | 16 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 15 | Hubert Gentry | 14 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 16 | Charles Gentry | 10 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 17 | Eugene Smith | 35 | Head | Miner | Alabama |
| 18 | Maggie Smith | 29 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 19 | Herman E Smith | 8 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 20 | Ernest L Smith | 6 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 21 | Betty Jr Smith | 3 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 22 | Evelyn Smith | 0 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 23 | Robert P Colburn | 23 | Head | Miner | Alabama |
| 24 | Annie R Colburn | 23 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 25 | Bettie A Colburn | 2 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 26 | Martha R Colburn | 0 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 27 | J. E. Finley | 53 | Head | Blacksmith | Alabama |
| 28 | Fannie Finley | 44 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 29 | James E Finley THIS PERSON | 25 | Son | Arc Welder | Alabama |
| 30 | Ellis Jr Finley | 18 | Son | Clerk | Alabama |
| 31 | Margaret Finley | 15 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 32 | Erby C Pool | 49 | Head | Mine Foreman | Alabama |
| 33 | Rebecca S Pool | 45 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 34 | Thomas G Eddins | 35 | Head | Miner | Alabama |
| 35 | Alice P Eddins | 29 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 36 | Earl A Brasher | 37 | Head | Engineer | Alabama |
| 37 | Rosie Brasher | 35 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 38 | Nellie Brasher | 15 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 39 | Earl Jr Brasher | 9 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 40 | James Damiles | 38 | Head | Fireman | Alabama |
Pedigree Summary
James + 2 siblings
Gen 1 · 6 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)