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Mary Merritt — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Polk-County, Iowa
Our Model Tree links this Mary Merritt across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Polk-County, Iowa (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Chester & Chester — first a daughter (b.~1917), then head of a 7-person household.
Age 23
b. ~1917
Female
Daughter
Born: Iowa
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Polk-County, Iowa |
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | Mary L |
| Relationship to Head | Daughter |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 23 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Des Moines City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Polk |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Stenographer |
| Industry | Bank |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 44 |
| Income (1939) | 1100 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
| Occupation | Stenographer |
| Township / Ward | Des Moines City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1917 |
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.
7 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to Mary | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Merritt | Daughter | — | 21 | ~1919 |
| Mary Merritt | Daughter | — | 23 | ~1917 |
| Betty Merritt | Daughter | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Chester Merritt | Head | — | 48 | ~1892 |
| Chester Merritt | Son | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| Hilda Merritt | Spouse | — | 41 | ~1899 |
| Thomas Merritt | Son | — | 7 | ~1933 |
Census Appearances
1920
Polk, Iowa
Daughter, age 3
Polk, Iowa · implied b. ~1917 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | Mary Jane |
| Relationship to Head | Daughter |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 3 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| Father's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Mother's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
1930
Polk, Iowa
Daughter, age 13
Polk, Iowa · implied b. ~1917 — 6 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | Mary G |
| Relationship to Head | Daughter |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 13 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| Father's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Mother's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
1940
Polk-County, Iowa
Daughter, age 23
Polk-County, Iowa · implied b. ~1917 — 7 household members
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | Mary L |
| Relationship to Head | Daughter |
| Sex | F |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 23 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Des Moines City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Polk |
| Occupation | Stenographer |
| Industry | Bank |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 44 |
| Income (1939) | 1100 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
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 Merritt across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Chester Merritt (~0.92 confidence) and father Chester Merritt (~0.92 confidence) and mother Hildah Merritt (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 3 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Chester Merritt
b. ~1892
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Chester Merritt
b. ~1896
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Hildah Merritt
b. ~1898
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
Mary Merritt
Daughter · 1940 · age 23 · b. ~1917 · Iowa
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Thomas Merritt
Sibling · 1940 · age 7
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Chester Merritt
Sibling · 1940 · age 14
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Helen Merritt
Sibling · 1940 · age 21
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Betty Merritt
Sibling · 1940 · age 17
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 — Polk-County, Iowa
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Polk-County, Iowa
Page Contents
30 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01193-00229)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Harlin R Harris | 40 | Head | Mechanic | Iowa |
| 42 | Nellie B Harris | 40 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 43 | Ray A Harris | 16 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 44 | David B Rodrick | 54 | Head | Gallery Attendant | Maine |
| 45 | Ruth Rodrick | 41 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 46 | David B Rodrick | 11 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 47 | James D Lynch | 47 | Head | Circulation Mgr | Iowa |
| 48 | Lillian E Lynch | 43 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 49 | James D Jr Lynch | 19 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 50 | Rose Marie Lynch | 13 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 51 | Chester R Merritt | 48 | Head | Salesman | Iowa |
| 52 | Hilda W Merritt | 41 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 53 | Mary L Merritt THIS PERSON | 23 | Daughter | Stenographer | Iowa |
| 54 | Helen L Merritt | 21 | Daughter | Stenographer | Iowa |
| 55 | Betty L Merritt | 17 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 56 | Chester R Jr Merritt | 14 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 57 | Thomas J Merritt | 7 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 60 | William H Guinn | 53 | Head | Installment Dept | Iowa |
| 61 | Mae J Guinn | 50 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 62 | Catherine Matteson | 71 | Mother-in-law | — | Iowa |
| 63 | Cora F Mardia | 50 | Nurse | Practical Nurse | Missouri |
| 68 | Richard Terpstra | 36 | Head | Salesman | Iowa |
| 69 | Velma J Terpstra | 35 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 70 | Patricia A Terpstra | 6 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 71 | Donna R Terpstra | 4 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 72 | Mary J Terpstra | 2 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 73 | Gretchen X Terpstra | 1 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 74 | May Rayburn | 18 | Servant | House Work | Iowa |
| 75 | Kenneth J Epley | 33 | Head | Laborer | Colorado |
| 76 | Novella Epley | 31 | Wife | Bookkeeper | Kentucky |
Pedigree Summary
Mary + 4 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)