WB
William Best — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Madison-County, Illinois
Our Model Tree links this William Best across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Madison-County, Illinois (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1877), then head of a 5-person household.
Age 63
b. ~1877
Male
Head
Born: Illinois
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Madison-County, Illinois |
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 63 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Worden |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Madison |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Industry | St Mt O. Coal Co |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 35 |
| Income (1939) | 1200 |
| Highest Grade | 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Illinois |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Township / Ward | Worden Village |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1877 |
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.
5 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Best | Spouse | — | 62 | ~1878 |
| William Best | Head | — | 63 | ~1877 |
| Charles Best | Son | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Charles Best | Son | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Earl Best | Son | — | 20 | ~1920 |
Census Appearances
1920
Madison, Illinois
Head, age 42
Madison, Illinois · implied b. ~1878 — 8 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Father's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Mother's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Industry | Coal Mine |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Year of Naturalization | R |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1930
Madison, Illinois
Head, age 52
Madison, Illinois · implied b. ~1878 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 52 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| Age at First Marriage | 30 |
| Father's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Mother's Birthplace | Illinois |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Industry | coal mine |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Value / Rent | 1800 |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
1940
Madison-County, Illinois
Head, age 63
Madison-County, Illinois · implied b. ~1877 — 5 household members
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 63 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Illinois |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Worden |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Madison |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Industry | St Mt O. Coal Co |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 35 |
| Income (1939) | 1200 |
| Highest Grade | 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Illinois |
| Birth State | Illinois |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | illinois |
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.
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This person
Anchor record
William Best
Head · 1940 · age 63 · b. ~1877 · Illinois
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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 — Madison-County, Illinois
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Madison-County, Illinois
Page Contents
37 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00851-00230)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester Wood | 46 | Head | Supt. Education | California |
| 2 | Pearl Wood | 38 | Wife | Housewife | Illinois |
| 3 | Laurence Wood | 15 | Son | — | Illinois |
| 4 | Dorothy Wood | 10 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 5 | Audrey Wood | 3 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 6 | J. Wm Woodward | 67 | Head | Miner | England |
| 7 | Sarajane Woodward | 64 | Wife | Housewife | England |
| 8 | Wm A. Ruemmler | 35 | Head | Ingot Capper | Illinois |
| 9 | Hervana Ruemmler | 29 | Wife | Housewife | Illinois |
| 10 | Charlotte Ruemmler | 10 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 11 | William Ruemmler | 9 | son | — | Illinois |
| 12 | Ileene Ruemmler | 6 | daughter | — | Missouri |
| 13 | Hervana Ruemmler | 0 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 14 | Hermenia Vratney | 46 | Head | Housewife | Hungary |
| 15 | Frank Vratney | 22 | Son | Check Out Trucker | Illinois |
| 16 | Steve Vratney | 21 | Son | — | Illinois |
| 17 | Margaret Vratney | 20 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 18 | Robert Vratney | 13 | son | — | Illinois |
| 19 | Wm Benton | 72 | Head | 15 Mo. Old Age | Ohio |
| 20 | Willadean Benton | 19 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 21 | Albert Benton | 17 | son | — | Illinois |
| 22 | Thad B. Benton | 76 | Brother | O.A.P. | Ohio |
| 23 | Minnie Marburger | 73 | Head | Housewife | Illinois |
| 24 | Chas Marburger | 52 | son | Miner | Illinois |
| 25 | William Best THIS PERSON | 63 | Head | Miner | Illinois |
| 26 | Florence Best | 62 | Wife | Housewife | Illinois |
| 27 | Earl Best | 20 | son | — | Illinois |
| 28 | Charles Best | 17 | son | — | Illinois |
| 29 | Charles Best | 17 | son | Ccc | Illinois |
| 30 | Dora Piper | 74 | Head | Housewife | Illinois |
| 31 | Anna Blume | 72 | Head | Housewife | Illinois |
| 32 | John Barney | 63 | Head | Miner | Hungary |
| 33 | Esther Barney | 66 | wife | Housewife | Hungary |
| 34 | Esther Barney | 18 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 35 | Mary Barney | 16 | daughter | — | Illinois |
| 36 | Joe Lamb | 72 | Head | Old Age Pension | Illinois |
| 37 | Addie Lamb | 72 | Wife | Invited O.A.P. | Illinois |
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)