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John Johnston — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Mercer-County, West Virginia
Our Model Tree links this John Johnston across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Mercer-County, West Virginia (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents John & Mary — first a son (b.~1898), then head of a 4-person household.
Age 42
b. ~1898
Male
Son
Born: West Virginia
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Mercer-County, West Virginia |
| Surname | Johnston |
| Given Name | John G. Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Bluefield City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Mercer |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Assistant Yard Master |
| Industry | Railroad |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 40 |
| Income (1939) | 1760 |
| Highest Grade | H 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
| Occupation | Assistant Yard Master |
| Township / Ward | Bluefield City |
| 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.
4 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie Johnston | Daughter | — | 37 | ~1903 |
| Olive Johnston | Daughter | — | 49 | ~1891 |
| Mary Johnston | Head | — | 74 | ~1866 |
| John Johnston | Son | — | 42 | ~1898 |
Census Appearances
1920
Mercer, West …
Son, age 21
Mercer, West Virginia · implied b. ~1899 — 8 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Johnston |
| Given Name | John R Jr |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 21 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Industry | Steam Railroad |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1930
Mercer, West …
Son, age 31
Mercer, West Virginia · implied b. ~1899 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Johnston |
| Given Name | John R Jr |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 31 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Industry | Railroad |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1940
Mercer-County, West …
Son, age 42
Mercer-County, West Virginia · implied b. ~1898 — 4 household members
| Surname | Johnston |
| Given Name | John G. Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Bluefield City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Mercer |
| Occupation | Assistant Yard Master |
| Industry | Railroad |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 40 |
| Income (1939) | 1760 |
| Highest Grade | H 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| 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 John Johnston across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father John Johnston (~0.92 confidence) and mother Mary Johnston (~0.92 confidence) and mother Mollie Johnston (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 3 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
John Johnston
b. ~1863
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Mary Johnston
b. ~1866
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Mollie Johnston
b. ~1866
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
John Johnston
Son · 1940 · age 42 · b. ~1898 · West Virginia
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Olive Johnston
Sibling · 1940 · age 49
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Jennie Johnston
Sibling · 1940 · age 37
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 — Mercer-County, West Virginia
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Mercer-County, West Virginia
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-04428-00118)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarence Thompson | 30 | Head | Butter Maker | Virginia |
| 2 | Pearl E. Thompson | 22 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 3 | Mary E. Johnston | 74 | Head | — | Virginia |
| 4 | John G. Jr. Johnston THIS PERSON | 42 | Son | Assistant Yard Master | West Virginia |
| 5 | Olive M. Johnston | 49 | Daughter | Teacher | Virginia |
| 6 | Jennie E. Johnston | 37 | Daughter | Teacher | Virginia |
| 7 | Alfred Heck | 68 | Head | Locomotive Engineer | Pennsylvania |
| 8 | Sallie J. Heck | 64 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 9 | Charles H. Heck | 23 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 10 | Mrs. Celia H. Hatcher | 60 | Head | Teacher | Virginia |
| 11 | Dewitt J. Buckner | 24 | Head | Clerk | Virginia |
| 12 | John W. Watts | 55 | Head | Conductor | West Virginia |
| 13 | Myrtle D. Watts | 51 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 14 | Iris Hatto Morris | 24 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 15 | James Watts | 21 | Son | Salesman | West Virginia |
| 16 | Thomas J. Watts | 17 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 17 | Richard Morris | 5 | Grandson | — | West Virginia |
| 18 | Mrs. Mary E. Green | 66 | Head | — | Virginia |
| 19 | Frances L. Brinegar | 31 | Partner | Private Duty Nursing | Virginia |
| 20 | Elinor H. Brinegar | 26 | Partner | Linen Clerk | West Virginia |
| 21 | Donald T. Fulford | 28 | Head | Salesman | West Virginia |
| 22 | Irene Closs Fulford | 28 | Wife | Saleslady | Virginia |
| 23 | Mrs. Mary G. Vandyke | 40 | Head | Beautician | Virginia |
| 24 | J. Carl Vandyke | 23 | Son | Newspaper | West Virginia |
| 25 | Sally Vandyke | 17 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 26 | Daniel F. Howard | 29 | Head | Promoter | Vermont |
| 27 | Florence Howard | 28 | Wife | — | Vermont |
| 28 | Jane Howard | 6 | Daughter | — | D.C. |
| 29 | Carole Howard | 5 | Daughter | — | New Hampshire |
| 30 | Gail Howard | 3 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 31 | Marilyn Howard | 0 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 32 | Sam M. Morris | 25 | Head | Carpenter | West Virginia |
| 33 | June D. Morris | 24 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 34 | Billie Sue Morris | 2 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 35 | Lucille H. Bailey | 40 | Head | Saleslady | North Carolina |
| 36 | Jack Bailey | 16 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 37 | Wm. R. Harrick | 73 | Head | — | Virginia |
| 38 | Elizabeth Harrick | 31 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 39 | Walter Goodrich | 25 | Boarder | Stockman | Ohio |
| 40 | Robert Thomas | 35 | Boarder | Bookkeeper | Virginia |
Pedigree Summary
John + 2 siblings
Gen 1 · 3 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)