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John Best — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Swift-County, Minnesota
Our Model Tree links this John Best across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Swift-County, Minnesota (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1856), then head of a 4-person household.
Age 84
b. ~1856
Male
Head
Born: Illinois
Widowed
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Swift-County, Minnesota |
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 84 |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Benson |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Swift |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | 7 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
| Township / Ward | Benson |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1856 |
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.
4 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mabel Best | Daughter | — | 45 | ~1895 |
| John Best | Head | — | 84 | ~1856 |
| Clarence Best | Son | — | 49 | ~1891 |
| Ralph Best | Son | — | 34 | ~1906 |
Census Appearances
1920
Swift, Minnesota
Head, age 64
Swift, Minnesota · implied b. ~1856 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 64 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Father's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General Farm |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Free/Mortgaged | M |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1930
Swift, Minnesota
Other, age 75
Swift, Minnesota · implied b. ~1855 — 20 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | John F. |
| Relationship to Head | O |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 75 |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Father's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | VVVV |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Radio Set | R |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1940
Swift-County, Minnesota
Head, age 84
Swift-County, Minnesota · implied b. ~1856 — 4 household members
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 84 |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Benson |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Swift |
| Highest Grade | 7 |
| 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 John Best across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
John Best
Head · 1940 · age 84 · b. ~1856 · Minnesota
★ You are viewing this record
Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Swift-County, Minnesota
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Swift-County, Minnesota
Page Contents
39 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01963-00147)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Kermit Overlie | 24 | Son | Farming | Minnesota |
| 42 | Christ. Svingen | 56 | Head | Farming | Norway |
| 43 | Johanna Svingen | 61 | Wife | Farming | Norway |
| 44 | Hazel Svingen | 25 | Daughter | Teacher | Minnesota |
| 45 | Thor Svingen | 23 | Son | Farming | Minnesota |
| 46 | Reuben H. Svingen | 20 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 47 | Ruth Svingen | 18 | Daughter | — | Minnesota |
| 48 | Olaf B. Strom | 59 | Head | Farming | Minnesota |
| 49 | Gusta Strom | 54 | Wife | — | Minnesota |
| 50 | Leonard Strom | 21 | Son | Laborer | Minnesota |
| 51 | Bernice Strom | 21 | Daughter-in-law | Farming | Minnesota |
| 52 | Gilbert Olson | 59 | Head | Farming | Minnesota |
| 53 | Thelma Olson | 59 | Wife | — | Minnesota |
| 54 | Telford Olson | 34 | Son | Farming | Minnesota |
| 55 | Linda Olson | 34 | Daughter-in-law | — | Minnesota |
| 56 | Luther Lee | 53 | Head | Farming | Minnesota |
| 57 | Anna Lee | 53 | Wife | — | South Dakota |
| 58 | Myrtle Lee | 19 | Daughter | — | Minnesota |
| 59 | Joel Lee | 17 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 60 | Wallace Lee | 13 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 61 | Warren Lee | 13 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 62 | Melvin Simonson | 33 | Hired hand | Hired Hand | Minnesota |
| 63 | Elmer Lee | 27 | Head | Farming | Minnesota |
| 64 | Violet Lee | 22 | Wife | — | Minnesota |
| 65 | Weston Lee | 1 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 66 | Vernon Dokkebakken | 33 | Head | Farming | Minnesota |
| 67 | Ellen Dokkebakken | 27 | Wife | — | Minnesota |
| 68 | Barbara Dokkebakken | 3 | Daughter | — | Minnesota |
| 69 | Dean Dokkebakken | 1 | Son | — | Minnesota |
| 70 | Judith Dokkebakken | 0 | Daughter | — | Minnesota |
| 71 | John Best THIS PERSON | 84 | Head | — | Illinois |
| 72 | Clarence Best | 49 | Son | Farming | Iowa |
| 73 | Mabel Best | 45 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 74 | Ralph Best | 34 | Son | Farming | Iowa |
| 75 | Peter P. Hilleren | 55 | Head | Farming | Norway |
| 76 | Christine Hilleren | 48 | Wife | — | Wisconsin |
| 77 | Palmer Hilleren | 17 | Son | Laborer | North Dakota |
| 78 | Kristi Hilleren | 85 | Grandmother | — | Norway |
| 79 | Anton M. Gunderson | 55 | Hired hand | Laborer | Minnesota |
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)