JC
John Cowan — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · San-Francisco-County, California
Our Model Tree links this John Cowan across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in San-Francisco-County, California (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a son (b.~1923), then head of a 9-person household.
Age 17
b. ~1923
Male
Son
Born: California
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | San-Francisco-County, California |
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 17 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | California |
| 1935 Residence (City) | San Francisco |
| 1935 Residence (County) | San Francisco |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | California |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | california |
| Township / Ward | San Francisco |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1923 |
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 John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deary Cowan | Daughter | — | 20 | ~1920 |
| Robert Cowan | Son | — | 21 | ~1919 |
| John Cowan | Son | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Virginia Cowan | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Selden Cowan | Head | — | 48 | ~1892 |
| Helen Cowan | Daughter | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| Maude Cowan | Spouse | — | 44 | ~1896 |
| Thomas Cowan | Son | — | 19 | ~1921 |
| George Cowan | Son | — | 16 | ~1924 |
Census Appearances
1930
San Francisco, …
Son, age 7
San Francisco, California · implied b. ~1923 — 10 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 7 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | California |
| Father's Birthplace | California |
| Mother's Birthplace | California |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | California |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | california |
1940
San-Francisco-County, California
Son, age 17
San-Francisco-County, California · implied b. ~1923 — 9 household members
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 17 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | California |
| 1935 Residence (City) | San Francisco |
| 1935 Residence (County) | San Francisco |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | California |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | california |
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 Cowan across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
John Cowan
Son · 1940 · age 17 · b. ~1923 · California
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
George Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 16
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Deary Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 20
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Virginia Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 9
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Thomas Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 19
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Robert Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 21
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Helen Cowan
Sibling · 1940 · age 14
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 — San-Francisco-County, California
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — San-Francisco-County, California
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00308-00819)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellen Coleman | 66 | Wife | — | Eire |
| 2 | Gerald J. Coleman | 27 | Son | Stenodore | California |
| 3 | Cecelia Merlo | 60 | Head | — | Italy |
| 4 | Selden Cowan | 48 | Head | Driver | California |
| 5 | Maude D. Cowan | 44 | Wife | — | California |
| 6 | Robert Cowan | 21 | Son | Painter | California |
| 7 | Deary Cowan | 20 | Daughter | Sales Clerk | California |
| 8 | Thomas Cowan | 19 | Son | Apprentice Painter | California |
| 9 | John Cowan THIS PERSON | 17 | Son | — | California |
| 10 | George Cowan | 16 | Son | — | California |
| 11 | Helen Cowan | 14 | Daughter | — | California |
| 12 | Virginia Cowan | 9 | Daughter | — | California |
| 13 | Claude Smith | 25 | Head | — | California |
| 14 | Carol Ann Smith | 3 | Daughter | — | California |
| 15 | Ceaser Baldeschi | 39 | Head | Sailor | Italy |
| 16 | Mary Baldeschi | 34 | Wife | — | Italy |
| 17 | Norma Baldeschi | 4 | Daughter | — | California |
| 18 | Jeanne Baldeschi | 2 | Daughter | — | California |
| 19 | Louis Torre | 68 | Head | — | Italy |
| 20 | Feliciana Torre | 65 | Mother | — | Italy |
| 21 | Rose Torre | 17 | Daughter | — | California |
| 22 | Patrick Guerrero | 79 | Head | — | California |
| 23 | Daniel Feriel | 42 | Head | Steward | California |
| 24 | Annette Feriel | 40 | Wife | — | California |
| 25 | George H. Olds | 55 | Head | Claims Officer | Virginia |
| 26 | Ethel D. Olds | 54 | Wife | — | England |
| 27 | Byron Clayton | 28 | Head | Traffic Manager | North Dakota |
| 28 | Ruth Clayton | 25 | Wife | — | Texas |
| 29 | Carl Schachnele | 33 | Head | Cabinetmaker | Germany |
| 30 | Thea Schachnele | 35 | Wife | — | Germany |
| 31 | Carol Barbara Schachnele | 1 | Daughter | — | California |
| 32 | Claude Hardy | 45 | Head | Cement Finisher | Missouri |
| 33 | Emma Hardy | 30 | Wife | — | Oregon |
| 34 | Grace Beverly Hardy | 8 | Daughter | — | California |
| 35 | Patricia Hardy | 5 | Daughter | — | California |
| 36 | Florence Smeal | 79 | Mother-in-law | — | Iowa |
| 37 | Ernest Perix | 34 | Head | Laborer | Germany |
| 38 | Iola Perix | 33 | Wife | — | Oregon |
| 39 | Ranger Lois Perix | 10 | Daughter | — | Illinois |
| 40 | R. Vera | 24 | Head | Demonstrator | California |
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)