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William Benson — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Mower-County, Minnesota
Our Model Tree links this William Benson across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Mower-County, Minnesota (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1864), then head of a 4-person household.
Age 76
b. ~1864
Male
Head
Born: Norway
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Mower-County, Minnesota |
| Surname | Benson |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 76 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Norway |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Mower |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Farming |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Minn |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Birthplace (normalized) | norway |
| Occupation | Farming |
| Township / Ward | Udolpho Twp |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1864 |
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 William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lillian Benson | Daughter | — | 22 | ~1918 |
| William Benson | Head | — | 76 | ~1864 |
| Alfred Benson | Son | — | 27 | ~1913 |
| Elizabeth Benson | Spouse | — | 61 | ~1879 |
Census Appearances
1920
Dodge, Minnesota
Head, age 53
Dodge, Minnesota · implied b. ~1867 — 9 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Benson |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 53 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Norway |
| Father's Birthplace | Norway |
| Mother's Birthplace | Norway |
| Occupation | Farming |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Norwegian |
| Home Free/Mortgaged | 1891 |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Year of Naturalization | R |
| Birthplace (normalized) | norway |
1930
Dodge, Minnesota
Head, age 65
Dodge, Minnesota · implied b. ~1865 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Benson |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 65 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Norway |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Year of Immigration | 1887 |
| Age at First Marriage | 26 |
| Father's Birthplace | Norway |
| Mother's Birthplace | Norway |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Gen Farm |
| Class of Worker | O |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Mother Tongue | Norwegian |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Home Value / Rent | Yes |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Birthplace (normalized) | norway |
1940
Mower-County, Minnesota
Head, age 76
Mower-County, Minnesota · implied b. ~1864 — 4 household members
| Surname | Benson |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 76 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Norway |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Mower |
| Naturalization Status | Naturalized |
| Occupation | Farming |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Minn |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Birthplace (normalized) | norway |
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 William Benson across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
William Benson
Head · 1940 · age 76 · b. ~1864 · Minnesota
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Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Mower-County, Minnesota
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Mower-County, Minnesota
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01940-01007)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Robertson | 39 | Head | Farming | Iowa |
| 2 | Alice Robertson | 29 | Wife | — | Ill |
| 3 | Neal Robertson | 8 | Son | — | Minn |
| 4 | Doris Robertson | 7 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 5 | Curtis B. Robertson | 2 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 6 | Shirley Robertson | 0 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 7 | Edward Christian | 27 | Head | Farming | Iowa |
| 8 | Syvilla Christian | 20 | Wife | — | Minn |
| 9 | James Christian | 1 | Son | — | Minn |
| 10 | Eleanor Christian | 55 | Mother | — | Ill |
| 11 | Clarence Hendersen | 44 | Head | Farming | Iowa |
| 12 | Ruth Hendersen | 41 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 13 | Audrey Hendersen | 14 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 14 | Robert Hendersen | 10 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 15 | Lloyd Hendersen | 8 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 16 | Phyllis Hendersen | 5 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 17 | Charles Hendersen | 3 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 18 | Harold Hendersen | 1 | Son | — | Minn |
| 19 | Will Hartstern | 41 | Partner | Farming | Iowa |
| 20 | Ray Hartstern | 50 | Partner | Farming | Iowa |
| 21 | Edward Filley | 32 | Head | Farming | Kansas |
| 22 | Irene Filley | 30 | Wife | — | Minn |
| 23 | Nola Filley | 9 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 24 | Donna Filley | 7 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 25 | Buena Filley | 6 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 26 | Myrna Filley | 0 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 27 | Claude Thomas | 34 | Hired hand | On Farm | Iowa |
| 28 | Harold Seebeck | 43 | Head | Farming | Minn |
| 29 | Agnes Seebeck | 36 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 30 | William Benson THIS PERSON | 76 | Head | Farming | Norway |
| 31 | Elizabeth Benson | 61 | Wife | — | Sweden |
| 32 | Alfred Benson | 27 | Son | Hired Hand | Minn |
| 33 | Lillian Benson | 22 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 34 | Ray Dette | 45 | Head | Farming As Hired Hand | Minn |
| 35 | Irene Dette | 46 | Wife | — | Minn |
| 36 | John Peterson | 29 | Son-in-law | Labor | Minn |
| 37 | Marcella Peterson | 22 | Daughter | — | Minn |
| 38 | Edward Peterson | 3 | Grandson | — | Minn |
| 39 | Frank Hunter | 47 | Head | Farming | Iowa |
| 40 | May Hunter | 48 | Wife | — | Minn |
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)