JT
John Thornton — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Pittsylvania-County, Virginia
Our Model Tree links this John Thornton across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Pittsylvania-County, Virginia (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Charles & Sarah — first a head (b.~1900), then head of a 8-person household.
Age 40
b. ~1900
Male
Head
Born: Virginia
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Pittsylvania-County, Virginia |
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | John D. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 40 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Tunstall |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Pittsylvania |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 0 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | virginia |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Township / Ward | Tunstall |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1900 |
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.
8 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to John | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Thornton | Head | — | 40 | ~1900 |
| Lulu Thornton | Daughter | — | 10 | ~1930 |
| Lewis Thornton | Son | — | 12 | ~1928 |
| Martin Thornton | Son | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| Rosa Thornton | Spouse | — | 32 | ~1908 |
| Archie Thornton | Son | — | 20 | ~1920 |
| Frances Thornton | Daughter | — | 18 | ~1922 |
| Lankor Thornton | Son | — | 6 | ~1934 |
Census Appearances
1920
King William, …
Son, age 17
King William, Virginia · implied b. ~1903 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 17 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | Virginia |
| Occupation | Labour |
| Industry | Coal Dock |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | No |
| Can Write | No |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | virginia |
1930
King William, …
Son, age 29
King William, Virginia · implied b. ~1901 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | John |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 29 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | Virginia |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | virginia |
1940
Pittsylvania-County, Virginia
Head, age 40
Pittsylvania-County, Virginia · implied b. ~1900 — 8 household members
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | John D. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 40 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Tunstall |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Pittsylvania |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 0 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | 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 Thornton across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Charles Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and mother Sarah Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and mother Dora Thornton (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 3 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Charles Thornton
b. ~1860
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Sarah Thornton
b. ~1870
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Dora Thornton
b. ~1876
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
John Thornton
Head · 1940 · age 40 · b. ~1900 · Virginia
★ 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 — Pittsylvania-County, Virginia
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Pittsylvania-County, Virginia
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-04284-00275)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | John Mcmillan|Mcmullan | 7 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 42 | Betty Mcmillan|Mcmullan | 4 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 43 | Albert Mcmillan|Mcmullan | 34 | Brother | Laborer | Virginia |
| 44 | Guy O. Vernon | 50 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 45 | Olive Vernon | 49 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 46 | Mary Catherine Vernon | 21 | Daughter | School Teacher | Virginia |
| 47 | James Vernon | 18 | Son | Farm Laborer | Virginia |
| 48 | John D. Thornton THIS PERSON | 40 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 49 | Rosa Thornton | 32 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 50 | Archie Thornton | 20 | Son | Farm Laborer | Virginia |
| 51 | Frances Thornton | 18 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 52 | Martin Thornton | 15 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 53 | Lewis Thornton | 12 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 54 | Lulu Thornton | 10 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 55 | Lankor Thornton | 6 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 56 | Willie O. Griggs | 79 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 57 | Fannie Griggs | 33 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 58 | George O. Groose|Grosse | 50 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 59 | Fannie Groose|Grosse | 53 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 60 | Allison B. Fowler | 48 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 61 | Madeline Fowler | 32 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 62 | Douglas Fowler | 9 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 63 | Gary Fowler | 7 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 64 | Frankie Fowler | 3 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 65 | Hazel Fowler | 2 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 66 | Cloraie Fowler | 1 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 67 | Harold Percy Fowler | 18 | Son | Farm Laborer | Virginia |
| 68 | Robert Haley | 62 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 69 | Mollie Haley | 50 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 70 | Lee Haley | 29 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 71 | Sallie Haley | 24 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 72 | Claude Haley | 5 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 73 | Neal Haley | 4 | Son | — | Virginia |
| 74 | Martin Coles | 56 | Head | Farmer | Virginia |
| 75 | Pearl Coles | 34 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 76 | James Coles | 16 | Son | Farm Laborer | Virginia |
| 77 | Melvin Coles | 14 | Son | Farm Laborer | Virginia |
| 78 | Betty Joe Coles | 12 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 79 | Mary Coles | 10 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 80 | Elna Coles | 8 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
Pedigree Summary
John
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)