WB
William Best — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Wayne-County, North Carolina
Our Model Tree links this William Best across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Wayne-County, North Carolina (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a son (b.~1929), then head of a 12-person household.
Age 11
b. ~1929
Male
Son
Born: North Carolina
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Wayne-County, North Carolina |
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William Henry |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 11 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Samsons |
| Additional Details | |
| Highest Grade | No 3 |
| 1935 Residence | North Carolina |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
| Township / Ward | Stoney Creek Township |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1929 |
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.
12 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ella Best | Daughter | — | 8 | ~1932 |
| Doris Best | Daughter | — | 1 | ~1939 |
| Mattie Best | Daughter | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| William Best | Son | — | 11 | ~1929 |
| Ruth Best | Spouse | — | 45 | ~1895 |
| Joe Best | Son | — | 18 | ~1922 |
| Dennis Best | Head | — | 47 | ~1893 |
| John Best | Son | — | 22 | ~1918 |
| Ruthie Best | Daughter | — | 6 | ~1934 |
| Cleveland Best | Son | — | 17 | ~1923 |
| Mary Best | Daughter | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| Alec Best | Son | — | 6 | ~1934 |
Census Appearances
1930
Wayne, North …
Son, age
Wayne, North Carolina · implied b. ~1930 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 0 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Birth State | North Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | north carolina |
1940
Wayne-County, North …
Son, age 11
Wayne-County, North Carolina · implied b. ~1929 — 12 household members
| Surname | Best |
| Given Name | William Henry |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 11 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | R |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Samsons |
| Highest Grade | No 3 |
| 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 William Best across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
William Best
Son · 1940 · age 11 · b. ~1929 · North Carolina
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Sibling
Joe Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 18
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Doris Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 1
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Ella Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 8
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Mattie Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 15
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Alec Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 6
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Mary Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 4
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Ruthie Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 6
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
John Best
Sibling · 1940 · age 22
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Cleveland Best
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 — Wayne-County, North Carolina
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Wayne-County, North Carolina
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02987-00556)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bessie Bartlett | 29 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 2 | Christine Bartlett | 5 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 3 | Alton Jr. Bartlett | 2 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 4 | Yona Coley | 28 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 5 | Ruth Coley | 22 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 6 | Royall Barnes | 33 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 7 | Ada Barnes | 33 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 8 | Earl Barnes | 10 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 9 | Aletha Barnes | 8 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 10 | Nancy Barnes | 6 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 11 | Lila Mae Barnes | 5 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 12 | Leroy Barnes | 3 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 13 | Emma Marie Barnes | 1 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 14 | James D. Barnes | 45 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 15 | Bessie Barnes | 42 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 16 | Carrie Mae Ward | 7 | Granddaughter | — | North Carolina |
| 17 | Lenora Coley | 16 | Lodger | — | North Carolina |
| 18 | Nennie Joyner | 26 | Lodger | School Teacher | North Carolina |
| 19 | Hebron Barnes | 27 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 20 | Nancy Barnes | 23 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 21 | James Barnes | 3 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 22 | Beula Barnes | 1 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 23 | Dennis Best | 47 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 24 | Ruth Best | 45 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 25 | John Earl Best | 22 | Son | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 26 | Joe Nathan Best | 18 | Son | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 27 | Cleveland Best | 17 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 28 | Mattie Bell Best | 15 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 29 | William Henry Best THIS PERSON | 11 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 30 | Ella Pearl Best | 8 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 31 | Alec Best | 6 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 32 | Ruthie Bee Best | 6 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 33 | Mary Anna Best | 4 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 34 | Doris Enora Best | 1 | Daughter | — | North Carolina |
| 35 | James G. Mccandless | 19 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 36 | Pauline Mccandless | 20 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 37 | Kirby Smith | 51 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 38 | Lizzie Lenora Smith | 49 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 39 | Sunny Lee Smith | 30 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 40 | Josiah Gurgonous | 22 | Head | Laborer | 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)