JL
John Lester — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Mcdowell-County, West Virginia
Our Model Tree links this John Lester across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Mcdowell-County, West Virginia (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a son (b.~1926), then head of a 6-person household.
Age 14
b. ~1926
Male
Son
Born: West Virginia
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Mcdowell-County, West Virginia |
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 14 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | McDowell |
| 1935 Residence (County) | McDowell |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | 0 |
| Industry | 0 |
| Class of Worker | No |
| Highest Grade | No 6 |
| 1935 Residence | West Va. |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
| Occupation | 0 |
| Township / Ward | Rural |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1926 |
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.
6 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lester | Son | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| Mary Lester | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Manuel Lester | Head | — | 60 | ~1880 |
| Belle Lester | Spouse | — | 42 | ~1898 |
| Jessaldine Lester | Daughter | — | 7 | ~1933 |
| Manuel Lester | Son | — | 12 | ~1928 |
Census Appearances
1930
Mcdowell, West …
Son, age 3
Mcdowell, West Virginia · implied b. ~1927 — 9 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 3 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Occupation | none |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1940
Mcdowell-County, West …
Son, age 14
Mcdowell-County, West Virginia · implied b. ~1926 — 6 household members
| Surname | Lester |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 14 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | McDowell |
| 1935 Residence (County) | McDowell |
| Occupation | 0 |
| Industry | 0 |
| Class of Worker | No |
| Highest Grade | No 6 |
| 1935 Residence | West Va. |
| 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 Lester across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
John Lester
Son · 1940 · age 14 · b. ~1926 · West Virginia
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Manuel Lester
Sibling · 1940 · age 12
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Mary Lester
Sibling · 1940 · age 9
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Jessaldine Lester
Sibling · 1940 · age 7
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 — 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-t0627-04423-00530)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruth Thornsbury | 21 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 2 | Ludell Thornsbury | 4 | Daughter | 0 | West Virginia |
| 3 | Dolores Thornsbury | 2 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 4 | Walter Thornsbury | 1 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 5 | Thanna Thornsbury | 0 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 6 | Roy B. Cooke | 25 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 7 | Lucille Cooke | 17 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 8 | Sharlotte Cooke | 1 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 9 | Manuel Lester | 60 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 10 | Belle Lester | 42 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 11 | John Lester THIS PERSON | 14 | Son | 0 | West Virginia |
| 12 | Manuel Jr. Lester | 12 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 13 | Mary Lester | 9 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 14 | Jessaldine Lester | 7 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 15 | Tarvin Riffe | 35 | Head | Miner | West Virginia |
| 16 | Hattie Riffe | 34 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 17 | Edgar Riffe | 15 | Son | 0 | West Virginia |
| 18 | Ernest Riffe | 13 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 19 | Beatrice Riffe | 11 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 20 | J. L. Riffe | 9 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 21 | Bilton Cook | 63 | Head | Miner | West Virginia |
| 22 | Dixie Cook | 58 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 23 | Lewis Cook | 15 | Son | 0 | West Virginia |
| 24 | Audrey Adkins | 11 | Granddaughter | — | West Virginia |
| 25 | Roscoe Adkins | 9 | Grandson | — | West Virginia |
| 26 | Jane Lockhart | 47 | Lodger | 0 | West Virginia |
| 27 | Theodore Cook | 21 | Head | Labour | West Virginia |
| 28 | Edith Cook | 20 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 29 | Alden Cook | 2 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 30 | James O. Cook | 30 | Head | Truck Driver | West Virginia |
| 31 | Mossie Cook | 30 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 32 | Clewit Cook | 11 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 33 | Raymond Cook | 10 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 34 | Elzade Cook | 8 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 35 | Donaldie Cook | 7 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 36 | Kyle Cook | 4 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 37 | Jackie Cook | 1 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 38 | Lawrence Thornsbury | 38 | Head | Miner | Virginia |
| 39 | Mary Thornsbury | 33 | Wife | 0 | West Virginia |
| 40 | Joy Thornsbury | 14 | Daughter | 0 | 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)