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William Bruce — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Shelby-County, Tennessee
Our Model Tree links this William Bruce across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Shelby-County, Tennessee (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1896), then head of a 11-person household.
Age 44
b. ~1896
Male
Head
Born: Mississippi
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Shelby-County, Tennessee |
| Surname | Bruce |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 44 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Mississippi |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Memphis City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Shelby |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Match feeder |
| Industry | Lumber Mill |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 50 |
| Income (1939) | 550 |
| Highest Grade | No 5 |
| 1935 Residence | Same Place |
| Birth State | Mississippi |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | mississippi |
| Occupation | Match Feeder |
| Township / Ward | Memphis City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1896 |
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.
11 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollie Bruce | Spouse | — | 35 | ~1905 |
| Blanche Bruce | Daughter | — | 19 | ~1921 |
| Florence Bruce | Daughter | — | 16 | ~1924 |
| William Bruce | Head | — | 44 | ~1896 |
| William Bruce | Son | — | 5 | ~1935 |
| Charles Bruce | Son | — | 3 | ~1937 |
| Autha Bruce | Daughter | — | 7 | ~1933 |
| Carrie Bruce | Daughter | — | 13 | ~1927 |
| Robert Bruce | Son | — | ~1940 | |
| Mable Bruce | Daughter | — | 11 | ~1929 |
| Katherine Bruce | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
Census Appearances
1920
Shelby, Tennessee
Head, age 24
Shelby, Tennessee · implied b. ~1896 — 2 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Bruce |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 24 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Father's Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Mother's Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | Mississippi |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | mississippi |
1930
Shelby, Tennessee
Head, age 33
Shelby, Tennessee · implied b. ~1897 — 6 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Bruce |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 33 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Age at First Marriage | 20 |
| Father's Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Mother's Birthplace | Mississippi |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Industry | Building |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Value / Rent | 2,000 |
| Veteran | Yes |
| Birth State | Mississippi |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | mississippi |
1940
Shelby-County, Tennessee
Head, age 44
Shelby-County, Tennessee · implied b. ~1896 — 11 household members
| Surname | Bruce |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 44 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Mississippi |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Memphis City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Shelby |
| Occupation | Match feeder |
| Industry | Lumber Mill |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 50 |
| Income (1939) | 550 |
| Highest Grade | No 5 |
| 1935 Residence | Same Place |
| Birth State | Mississippi |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | mississippi |
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 Bruce across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
Show:
This person
Anchor record
William Bruce
Head · 1940 · age 44 · b. ~1896 · Tennessee
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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 — Shelby-County, Tennessee
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Shelby-County, Tennessee
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-03969-00052)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Glover | 48 | Head | Laborer | Tennessee |
| 2 | Aaron Jr. Glover | 11 | Son | — | Arkansas |
| 3 | Alonza Eddins | 7 | Grandson | — | Tennessee |
| 4 | Frank Carter | 34 | Head | Cement Finisher | Mississippi |
| 5 | Mattie Carter | 34 | Wife | — | Arkansas |
| 6 | Willoughby Smith | 31 | Head | Laborer | Mississippi |
| 7 | Elizabeth Smith | 23 | Wife | — | Mississippi |
| 8 | Andrew J. Smith | 5 | Son | — | Tennessee |
| 9 | Ida Smith | 52 | Mother | — | Mississippi |
| 10 | Charlie Lewis | 40 | Head | Sawyer | Tennessee |
| 11 | Rosa Lewis | 39 | Wife | — | Tennessee |
| 12 | George Reed | 43 | Head | Laborer | Tennessee |
| 13 | Mattie Reed | 45 | Wife | — | Mississippi |
| 14 | Charles Pride | 23 | Head | Laborer | Alabama |
| 15 | Rosa Pride | 24 | Wife | Maid | Mississippi |
| 16 | Velvelua Pride | 5 | Daughter | — | Tennessee |
| 17 | Hoyt Pride | 15 | Nephew | — | Arkansas |
| 18 | Baby Rose Reed | 5 | Niece | — | Arkansas |
| 19 | Bobbie Lee Reed | 3 | Niece | — | Tennessee |
| 20 | Florence Pride | 65 | Mother | — | Alabama |
| 21 | Oscar Shell | 53 | Head | Farm Gardener | Tennessee |
| 22 | Mittie Shell | 59 | Wife | — | Tennessee |
| 23 | Theopholis Coleman | 22 | Nephew | Labor | Tennessee |
| 24 | Mildred Coleman | 24 | Niece | — | Tennessee |
| 25 | Coleman | 1 | — | — | Tennessee |
| 26 | William Bruce THIS PERSON | 44 | Head | Match Feeder | Mississippi |
| 27 | Ollie Bruce | 35 | Wife | — | Tenn. |
| 28 | Blanche Bruce | 19 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 29 | Florence Bruce | 16 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 30 | Carrie Bruce | 13 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 31 | Mable Bruce | 11 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 32 | Katherine Bruce | 9 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 33 | Autha Mae Bruce | 7 | Daughter | — | Tenn. |
| 34 | William Jr. Bruce | 5 | Son | — | Tenn. |
| 35 | Charles E. Bruce | 3 | Son | — | Tenn. |
| 36 | Robert L. Bruce | 0 | Son | — | Tenn. |
| 37 | Walter Brown | 44 | Head | Laborer | Tenn. |
| 38 | Anna Brown | 52 | Wife | — | Tenn. |
| 39 | Jake Gordon | 47 | Head | Porter | Mississippi |
| 40 | Era Gordon | 39 | Wife | — | Mississippi |
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)