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John Cowan — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · O'Brien-County, Iowa
Our Model Tree links this John Cowan across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in O'Brien-County, Iowa (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1860), then head of a 3-person household.
Age 80
b. ~1860
Male
Head
Born: Scotland
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | O'Brien-County, Iowa |
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 80 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Paullina |
| 1935 Residence (County) | O'Brien |
| Naturalization Status | Alien |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Janitor |
| Industry | Furniture Store |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 48 |
| Income (1939) | 1500 |
| Highest Grade | H-1 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
| Occupation | Janitor |
| Township / Ward | Paullina |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1860 |
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.
3 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella Cowan | Spouse | — | 83 | ~1857 |
| John Cowan | Head | — | 80 | ~1860 |
| Evelyn Cowan | Daughter | — | 51 | ~1889 |
Census Appearances
1920
O Brien, …
Head, age 61
O Brien, Iowa · implied b. ~1859 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 61 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Year of Immigration | 1881 |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Industry | Store |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Scotch |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Free/Mortgaged | F |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Year of Naturalization | 1885 |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
1930
O Brien, …
Head, age 71
O Brien, Iowa · implied b. ~1859 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 71 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Year of Immigration | 1880 |
| Age at First Marriage | 24 |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Occupation | Railroad Clerk |
| Industry | Furniture |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | English |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Value / Rent | 5000 |
| Radio Set | R |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
1940
O'Brien-County, Iowa
Head, age 80
O'Brien-County, Iowa · implied b. ~1860 — 3 household members
| Surname | Cowan |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 80 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Paullina |
| 1935 Residence (County) | O'Brien |
| Naturalization Status | Alien |
| Occupation | Janitor |
| Industry | Furniture Store |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 48 |
| Income (1939) | 1500 |
| Highest Grade | H-1 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth Country | Scotland |
| Birthplace (normalized) | scotland |
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 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
John Cowan
Head · 1940 · age 80 · b. ~1860 · Iowa
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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 — O'Brien-County, Iowa
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — O'Brien-County, Iowa
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01187-00547)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Jay O. Bridges | 30 | Head | Janitor | Missouri |
| 42 | Donald W. Schubert | 23 | Head | Proprietor | Iowa |
| 43 | Helen Schubert | 21 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 44 | Harold H. David | 47 | Head | Proprietor | Nebraska |
| 45 | Alberta David | 49 | Wife | Clerk | Missouri |
| 46 | John R. David | 16 | Son | Clerk | Iowa |
| 47 | Chester L. Samuelsson | 29 | Head | Medical Doctor | South Dakota |
| 48 | Sarah Samuelsson | 26 | Wife | — | Kentucky |
| 49 | Edward Silker | 74 | Head | Carpenter | Germany |
| 50 | Dora Silker | 69 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 51 | John Cowan THIS PERSON | 80 | Head | Janitor | Scotland |
| 52 | Isabella Cowan | 83 | Wife | — | Scotland |
| 53 | Evelyn J. Cowan | 51 | Daughter | Librarian | Iowa |
| 54 | Frank S. Conaway | 37 | Head | Minister | Iowa |
| 55 | Ruth Conaway | 39 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 56 | Paul Conaway | 6 | Son | — | Pennsylvania |
| 57 | Betty Conaway | 4 | Daughter | — | Pennsylvania |
| 58 | Leland Conaway | 2 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 59 | William E. Stump | 46 | Head | Laborer | Iowa |
| 60 | Grace B. Stump | 37 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 61 | Yvonne Stump | 17 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 62 | William Lange | 47 | Head | Janitor | Iowa |
| 63 | Mavis Lange | 19 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 64 | Kenneth Lange | 16 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 65 | Emmett D. West | 63 | Head | Farmer | Ohio |
| 66 | Bertha West | 65 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 67 | Ray H. West | 18 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 68 | Margaret Brown | 57 | Head | — | Iowa |
| 69 | Herman Ewoldts | 43 | Head | Driver | Iowa |
| 70 | Anna Ewoldts | 50 | Wife | — | Illinois |
| 71 | Norman Ewoldts | 23 | Son | Delivery | Iowa |
| 72 | Edwin Ewoldts | 21 | Son | Clerk | Iowa |
| 73 | Mary Ann Ewoldts | 19 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 74 | Burnell Ewoldts | 16 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 75 | Earl Ewoldts | 14 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 76 | Knudt Frill | 66 | Head | Farmer | Denmark |
| 77 | Sagna Frill | 77 | Wife | — | Norway |
| 78 | Leslie V. Nelson | 25 | Head | Electrician | South Dakota |
| 79 | Myrtle Nelson | 22 | Wife | — | South Dakota |
| 80 | Bradley Nelson | 3 | Son | — | Iowa |
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)