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Mary Best — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Wilson-County, North Carolina
Our Model Tree links this Mary Best across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Wilson-County, North Carolina (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a spouse (b.~1898), then head of a 6-person household.
Age 42
b. ~1898
Female
Spouse
Born: North Carolina
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Wilson-County, North Carolina |
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | Mary |
| Relationship to Head | Wife |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Wilson |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | No 7 |
| 1935 Residence | North Carolina |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
| Township / Ward | Saratoga Township |
| 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.
6 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to Mary | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lottie Best | Daughter | — | 13 | ~1927 |
| Andrew Best | Head | — | 55 | ~1885 |
| Mary Best | Spouse | — | 42 | ~1898 |
| Nephew Mcraven | Other | — | — | |
| Ella Brown | Other | — | 72 | ~1868 |
| Golden Best | Other | — | 35 | ~1905 |
Census Appearances
1920
Greene, North …
Spouse, age 22
Greene, North Carolina · implied b. ~1898 — 2 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | Mary |
| Relationship to Head | Wife |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 22 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
1930
Wilson, North …
Spouse, age 32
Wilson, North Carolina · implied b. ~1898 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | Mary |
| Relationship to Head | wife |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 32 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Age at First Marriage | 19 |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | General Farm |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
1940
Wilson-County, North …
Spouse, age 42
Wilson-County, North Carolina · implied b. ~1898 — 6 household members
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | Mary |
| Relationship to Head | Wife |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Wilson |
| Highest Grade | No 7 |
| 1935 Residence | North Carolina |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
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 Mary Best across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 3 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
Mary Best
Spouse · 1940 · age 42 · b. ~1898 · North Carolina
★ 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 — Wilson-County, North Carolina
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Wilson-County, North Carolina
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02989-00397)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Ward | 58 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 2 | Eddie Ward | 46 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 3 | Ida Ward | 24 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 4 | Charles Ward | 18 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 5 | Leland Ward | 14 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 6 | Minnie Ward | 13 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 7 | Annie Ward | 10 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 8 | Molena Ward | 5 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 9 | Beauregard Ward | 20 | Son | Labourer | North Carolina |
| 10 | Bertha Lee Ward | 20 | Daughter-in-law | — | North Carolina |
| 11 | John Lewis Barnes | 9 | Grandson | — | North Carolina |
| 12 | Mark Felton | 55 | Head | Merchant | North Carolina |
| 13 | Walter F. Felton | 67 | Brother | — | North Carolina |
| 14 | Martha Felton | 58 | Sister | — | North Carolina |
| 15 | Thelton Felton | 57 | Sister | — | North Carolina |
| 16 | Oze Ward | 27 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 17 | Rosa Ward | 23 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 18 | Oze Jr. Ward | 0 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 19 | Maggie Ward | 28 | Sister | — | North Carolina |
| 20 | John Ward | 23 | Brother | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 21 | Juanita Ward | 19 | Sister-in-law | — | North Carolina |
| 22 | Daisie Ward | 3 | Niece | — | North Carolina |
| 23 | Doll Speight | 56 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 24 | Idella Speight | 45 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 25 | George Speight | 21 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 26 | Glossie Speight | 15 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 27 | Curtis Lee Speight | 12 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 28 | Ezzie Mae Speight | 17 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 29 | Love Joy Speight | 67 | Brother | — | North Carolina |
| 30 | Andrew Best | 55 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 31 | Mary Best THIS PERSON | 42 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 32 | Lottie Mae Best | 13 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 33 | Ella Brown | 72 | Mother-in-law | — | North Carolina |
| 34 | Nephew Mcraven | None | M | Farm | — |
| 35 | Golden Best | 35 | Brother | — | North Carolina |
| 36 | James R. Ward | 39 | Head | Farmer | North Carolina |
| 37 | Hattie Ward | 36 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 38 | James H. Ward | 18 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 39 | Elsie Ward | 16 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 40 | Hattie Cleo Ward | 14 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
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)