JL
James Lester — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Mcdowell-County, West Virginia
Our Model Tree links this James Lester across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Mcdowell-County, West Virginia (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1898), then head of a 7-person household.
Age 42
b. ~1898
Male
Head
Born: West Virginia
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Mcdowell-County, West Virginia |
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | James A. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Panther Precinct |
| 1935 Residence (County) | McDowell |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | WPA Road Project |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 32 |
| Income (1939) | 481 |
| Highest Grade | No 7 |
| 1935 Residence | Same Farm |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Township / Ward | Panther Precinct |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1898 |
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.
7 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to James | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Lester | Head | — | 42 | ~1898 |
| Evelyn Lester | Daughter | — | 2 | ~1938 |
| Rosie Lester | Spouse | — | 33 | ~1907 |
| Aileen Lester | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Jesse Lester | Son | — | 12 | ~1928 |
| Noah Lester | Son | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| Eloise Lester | Daughter | — | 5 | ~1935 |
Census Appearances
1930
Mcdowell, West …
Other, age 33
Mcdowell, West Virginia · implied b. ~1897 — 27 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | Jas |
| Relationship to Head | Boarder |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 33 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Coal Co. |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1940
Mcdowell-County, West …
Head, age 42
Mcdowell-County, West Virginia · implied b. ~1898 — 7 household members
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | James A. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Panther Precinct |
| 1935 Residence (County) | McDowell |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | WPA Road Project |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 32 |
| Income (1939) | 481 |
| Highest Grade | No 7 |
| 1935 Residence | Same Farm |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
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 Lester across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
James Lester
Head · 1940 · age 42 · b. ~1898 · West Virginia
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Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Mcdowell-County, West Virginia
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Mcdowell-County, West Virginia
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-04423-00602)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masten Lester | 17 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 2 | Gladys Lester | 15 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 3 | Ballie Lester | 13 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 4 | Vesta Lester | 11 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 5 | Sherley Ann Lester | 7 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 6 | Ailene Lester | 5 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 7 | Calvin Lester | 1 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 8 | Frances Hurley | 58 | Head | — | West Virginia |
| 9 | Rushie Hurley | 17 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 10 | Robert Mccoy | 26 | Head | Lumberman | West Virginia |
| 11 | Dorathy Mccoy | 23 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 12 | Leander Mccoy | 5 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 13 | Jeremiah Mccoy | 3 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 14 | Ina May Mccoy | 2 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 15 | Epp Mccoy | 0 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 16 | Floyd Mccoy | 24 | Head | — | West Virginia |
| 17 | Viola Mccoy | 19 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 18 | Wayne Mccoy | 58 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 19 | Nancy Mccoy | 53 | Wife | — | Kentucky |
| 20 | Elizabeth Mccoy | 16 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 21 | Fred Mccoy | 13 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 22 | Andrew Mccoy | 9 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 23 | Lawrence Cline | 37 | Head | Timber Contractor | West Virginia |
| 24 | Ada Cline | 30 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 25 | Brookie Cline | 12 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 26 | Robert Cline | 10 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 27 | Ira Cline | 8 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 28 | Zona Cline | 6 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 29 | Burl Cline | 3 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 30 | Walter Cline | 1 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 31 | James A. Lester THIS PERSON | 42 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 32 | Rosie Nell Lester | 33 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 33 | Noah Lester | 15 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 34 | Jesse Lester | 12 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 35 | Aileen Lester | 9 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 36 | Eloise Lester | 5 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 37 | Evelyn N. Lester | 2 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 38 | Bill Cline | 30 | Head | Coal Loader | West Virginia |
| 39 | Cynthia Cline | 27 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 40 | Audrey Cline | 4 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
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)