WD
William Donovan — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Kings-County, New York
Our Model Tree links this William Donovan across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Kings-County, New York (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents John & Joseph — first a head (b.~1913), then head of a 3-person household.
Age 27
b. ~1913
Male
Head
Born: New York
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Kings-County, New York |
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 27 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | New York |
| 1935 Residence (City) | New York City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Kings |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 50 |
| Income (1939) | 266 |
| Highest Grade | H 3 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Township / Ward | New York City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1913 |
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 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Donovan | Son | — | ~1940 | |
| Caroline Donovan | Spouse | — | 25 | ~1915 |
| William Donovan | Head | — | 27 | ~1913 |
Census Appearances
1920
Kings, New …
Son, age 7
Kings, New York · implied b. ~1913 — 6 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | William N. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 7 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| Father's Birthplace | New York |
| Mother's Birthplace | New York |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
1930
Kings, New …
Son, age 17
Kings, New York · implied b. ~1913 — 9 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 17 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| Father's Birthplace | New York |
| Mother's Birthplace | New York |
| Occupation | Pressing |
| Industry | Laundry |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
1940
Kings-County, New …
Head, age 27
Kings-County, New York · implied b. ~1913 — 3 household members
| Surname | Donovan |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 27 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | New York |
| 1935 Residence (City) | New York City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Kings |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 50 |
| Income (1939) | 266 |
| Highest Grade | H 3 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
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 Donovan across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father John Donovan (~0.92 confidence) and father Joseph Donovan (~0.92 confidence) and mother Hannah Donovan (~0.83 confidence) and mother Gertrude Donovan (~0.92 confidence) and mother Mary Donovan (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 2 generations with 5 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.9
Father
John Donovan
b. ~1879
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Joseph Donovan
b. ~1878
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Hannah Donovan
b. ~1844
Source father>mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.83
Mother
Gertrude Donovan
b. ~1883
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Mary Donovan
b. ~1886
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
William Donovan
Head · 1940 · age 27 · b. ~1913 · New York
★ You are viewing this record
Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Kings-County, New York
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Kings-County, New York
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02597-00217)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Grand Fannie Bannan | 75 | Head | — | Russia |
| 42 | Abrams Max Bannan | 45 | Head | Salesman | New York |
| 43 | Abrams Gertrude Bannan | 29 | Wife | — | New York |
| 44 | William Donovan THIS PERSON | 27 | Head | Clerk | New York |
| 45 | Caroline Donovan | 25 | Wife | — | New York |
| 46 | William Jr Donovan | 0 | Son | — | New York |
| 47 | Grace Wharmby | 61 | Head | — | New York |
| 48 | William Wharmby | 19 | Son | Clerk | New York |
| 49 | Harold Hoffman | 36 | Head | — | New York |
| 50 | Lenore Hoffman | 30 | Wife | — | New York |
| 51 | Louisa Eisenhardt | 66 | Head | — | Germany |
| 52 | Robert Cooke | 24 | Head | Bus Boy | New York |
| 53 | Mildred Cooke | 21 | Wife | — | New York |
| 54 | William Cooke | 2 | Son | — | New York |
| 55 | Patricia Cooke | 1 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 56 | Frank Butler | 60 | Head | Caretaker | New York |
| 57 | Ella Butler | 57 | Wife | — | New York |
| 58 | Eileen Butler | 15 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 59 | Augustine Santos | 41 | Head | Machine Feeder | Brazil |
| 60 | Mary Santos | 43 | Wife | — | Brazil |
| 61 | Hamilton Santos | 16 | Son | — | Brazil |
| 62 | Edmer Santos | 14 | Son | — | New York |
| 63 | Velmyra Santos | 12 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 64 | Benjamin Goodman | 48 | Head | Painter | Russia |
| 65 | Lilly Goodman | 45 | Wife | — | Russia |
| 66 | Sally Goodman | 21 | Daughter | Designer | Russia |
| 67 | Selma Goodman | 19 | Daughter | Receptionist | Russia |
| 68 | Dorothy Goodman | 12 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 69 | Louis Kreisman | 52 | Head | Barber | Russia |
| 70 | Rebecca Kreisman | 46 | Wife | — | Russia |
| 71 | Arthur Kreisman | 24 | Son | Shipping Clerk | New York |
| 72 | Rubin Kreisman | 19 | Son | — | New York |
| 73 | Edward Wilson | 48 | Head | Laborer | New Jersey |
| 74 | Harriett Wilson | 47 | Wife | — | New Jersey |
| 75 | John Wilson | 15 | Son | Laborer | New Jersey |
| 76 | Harriette Wilson | 12 | Daughter | — | New Jersey |
| 77 | John Walter | 32 | Head | Elevator Operator | Poland |
| 78 | Francis Walter | 31 | Wife | — | New York |
| 79 | Stanley Walter | 11 | Son | — | New York |
| 80 | John Jr Walter | 10 | Son | — | New York |
Pedigree Summary
William
Gen 1 · 4 parents
~0.92
Gen 2 · 1 grandparents
~0.83
Max depth 4 (1900–1950 window)
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)