WB
William Best — 1920 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1920 United States Federal Census · Los Angeles, California
Our Model Tree links this William Best across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Los Angeles, California (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1874), then head of a 3-person household.
Age 46
b. ~1874
Male
Head
Born: Pennsylvania
Married
1920 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1920 |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William D. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 46 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Ireland |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Industry | Signs |
| Class of Worker | oa |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Birth State | Pennsylvania |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Township / Ward | Long Beach City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1874 |
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.
3 people recorded at the same address in the 1920 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mabel Best | Spouse | — | 39 | ~1881 |
| William Best | Head | — | 46 | ~1874 |
| Robert Best | Son | — | 15 | ~1905 |
Census Appearances
1920
Los Angeles, …
Head, age 46
Los Angeles, California · implied b. ~1874 — 3 household members
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William D. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 46 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Father's Birthplace | Scotland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Ireland |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Industry | Signs |
| Class of Worker | oa |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Birth State | Pennsylvania |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | pennsylvania |
1930
Los Angeles, …
Head, age 56
Los Angeles, California · implied b. ~1874 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Bast |
| Given Name | William J |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 56 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Age at First Marriage | 30 |
| Father's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother's Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Printer |
| Industry | Daily Newspaper |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Home Value / Rent | 40.00 |
| Radio Set | R |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth State | Pennsylvania |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | pennsylvania |
1940
Los-Angeles-County, California
Head, age 66
Los-Angeles-County, California · implied b. ~1874 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Bast |
| Given Name | William G |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 66 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Los Angeles |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Compositor |
| Industry | Daily Newspaper |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 40 |
| Income (1939) | 2000 |
| Highest Grade | H 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same Place |
| Birth State | Pennsylvania |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | pennsylvania |
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 Best across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
William Best
Head · 1920 · age 46 · b. ~1874 · California
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Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1920 US Federal Census — Los Angeles, California
Open full size
1920 US Federal Census — Los Angeles, California
Page Contents
47 people indexed on this census page (ia:1920:14thcensusofpopu104unit:0302)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parker Ruth O. Parker | 14 | Daughter | None | Colorado |
| 2 | Aaron Blackford | 48 | Head | Merchant | Iowa |
| 3 | Maud Blackford | 42 | Wife | None | Washington |
| 4 | Kenneth Blackford | 11 | Son | None | Iowa |
| 5 | Mary E. Harris | 49 | Head | Solicitor | Minnesota |
| 6 | Fanny B. Reed | 60 | Lodger | Librarian | Ohio |
| 7 | Allie N. Vaughan | 47 | Head | None | Illinois |
| 8 | Sarah C. Roe | 79 | Mother | None | Ohio |
| 9 | Ernest P. Held | 50 | Head | None | Colorado |
| 10 | Dora Held | 50 | Wife | None | Kansas |
| 11 | John R. Knapp | 66 | Head | None | New York |
| 12 | Annie Knapp | 50 | Wife | None | Kansas |
| 13 | Harriet B. Ryder | 47 | Head | Manager | Maine |
| 14 | Mildred B. Ryder | 25 | Daughter | Hairdresser | California |
| 18 | Charles A. Boswell | 46 | Head | Hotel Clerk | Tennessee |
| 19 | Allen G. Boswell | 36 | Wife | Manager | Tennessee |
| 20 | Leolin E. Boswell | 13 | Son | None | Tennessee |
| 21 | Virginia Boswell | 15 | Daughter | None | Tennessee |
| 22 | Elmer O. Gregory | 67 | Head | None | New York |
| 23 | Charles A. Rose | 66 | Head | None | Pennsylvania |
| 24 | Mary E. Rose | 65 | Wife | None | Indiana |
| 25 | James L. Horn | 65 | Head | None | Wisconsin |
| 26 | Emma R. Horn | 62 | Wife | None | Missouri |
| 27 | Mary A. Widder | 70 | Head | None | Canada |
| 28 | Ethel M. Widder | 31 | Daughter | None | Canada |
| 29 | Annie Widder | 29 | Daughter | Bookkeeper | Canada |
| 30 | Walter H. Thorley | 62 | Head | Carpenter | New Jersey |
| 31 | Annie E. Thorley | 54 | Wife | None | Pennsylvania |
| 32 | Laura E. Ball | 58 | Head | None | Ohio |
| 33 | Samuel G. Chesterton | 64 | Head | None | England |
| 34 | Eliza Chesterton | 65 | Wife | None | England |
| 35 | William D. Best THIS PERSON | 46 | Head | Painter | Pennsylvania |
| 36 | Mabel V. Best | 39 | Wife | None | W. Virginia |
| 37 | Robert D. Best | 15 | Son | None | Ohio |
| 38 | Charles H. Mitchel | 76 | Head | None | Iowa |
| 39 | Lila Mitchel | 74 | Wife | None | Iowa |
| 40 | Otto A. Munger | 27 | Head | Order Man | Arkansas |
| 41 | Leila Munger | 20 | Wife | None | Arkansas |
| 42 | Max Stain | 29 | Head | Tailor | Russia |
| 43 | Lillie Stain | 30 | Wife | None | Russia |
| 44 | Abe Stain | 11 | Son | None | Russia |
| 45 | Jack Stain | 9 | Son | None | Russia |
| 46 | Archibald Green | 40 | Head | Motor Man | England |
| 47 | Emily D. Green | 30 | Wife | None | England |
| 48 | Alfred G. Green | 5 | Son | None | England |
| 49 | Mary E. Checkman | 60 | Head | Teacher | Wales |
| 50 | Bessie Jeffries | 20 | Lodger | Waitress | Maryland |
About This Record & Model Tree
This record was independently indexed by YourRoots from the 1920 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)