WF
William Foster — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Our Model Tree links this William Foster across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Spartanburg-County, South Carolina (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1881), then head of a 12-person household.
Age 59
b. ~1881
Male
Head
Born: South Carolina
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Spartanburg-County, South Carolina |
| Surname | Foster |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 59 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Spartanburg |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Spartanburg |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Cleaner |
| Industry | Cotton Mill |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 38 |
| Income (1939) | 726 |
| Highest Grade | No 3 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
| Occupation | Cleaner |
| Township / Ward | Spartanburg |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1881 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnie Griffin | Daughter | — | 29 | ~1911 |
| Kathaleen Foster | Daughter | — | 11 | ~1929 |
| Ross Evans | Daughter | — | 23 | ~1917 |
| Mary Foster | Daughter | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| Annie Byrd | Daughter | — | 24 | ~1916 |
| William Foster | Head | — | 59 | ~1881 |
| Barbara Evans | Other | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| Thomas Byrd | Other | — | 7 | ~1933 |
| Lester Griffin | Other | — | 29 | ~1911 |
| Thomas Foster | Son | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| William Foster | Son | — | 25 | ~1915 |
| Gertrude Foster | Spouse | — | 53 | ~1887 |
Census Appearances
1920
Spartanburg, South …
Head, age 34
Spartanburg, South Carolina · implied b. ~1886 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Foster |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 34 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read | No |
| Can Write | No |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
1930
Spartanburg, South …
Head, age 45
Spartanburg, South Carolina · implied b. ~1885 — 8 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Foster |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 45 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Age at First Marriage | 22 |
| Father's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Fertilizer Plant |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Home Value / Rent | 12 |
| Veteran | No |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
1940
Spartanburg-County, South …
Head, age 59
Spartanburg-County, South Carolina · implied b. ~1881 — 12 household members
| Surname | Foster |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | Black |
| Age | 59 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Spartanburg |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Spartanburg |
| Occupation | Cleaner |
| Industry | Cotton Mill |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 38 |
| Income (1939) | 726 |
| Highest Grade | No 3 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south 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 Foster 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 Foster
Head · 1940 · age 59 · b. ~1881 · South Carolina
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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 — Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Page Contents
39 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-03840-00421)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleave Dawkins | 40 | Head | Scrubber | South Carolina |
| 2 | Julia Dawkins | 37 | Wife | Cook | South Carolina |
| 3 | Howard Kilmore | 34 | Head | Truck Driver | South Carolina |
| 4 | Lucile Kilmore | 28 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 5 | Boyce Peak | 30 | Head | Fireman | South Carolina |
| 6 | Bernice Peak | 25 | Wife | Cook | South Carolina |
| 7 | Raymond Gape | 30 | Head | Gardner | South Carolina |
| 8 | Agnes Gape | 25 | Wife | Maid | South Carolina |
| 9 | Lewis B Broadus | 32 | Head | Scrubber | South Carolina |
| 10 | Lizzie Broadus | 28 | Wife | Cook | South Carolina |
| 11 | William Foster THIS PERSON | 59 | Head | Cleaner | South Carolina |
| 12 | Gertrude Foster | 53 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 13 | William S Foster | 25 | Son | Butler | South Carolina |
| 14 | Thomas Foster | 15 | Son | — | South Carolina |
| 15 | Mary Ella Foster | 14 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 16 | Kathaleen Foster | 11 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 17 | Ross Lee Evans | 23 | Daughter | Maid | South Carolina |
| 18 | Barbara Ann Evans | 4 | Granddaughter | — | South Carolina |
| 19 | Annie Pearl Byrd | 24 | Daughter | Nurse | South Carolina |
| 20 | Thomas E Byrd | 7 | Grandson | — | South Carolina |
| 21 | Lester Griffin | 29 | Son-in-law | Bag Maker | South Carolina |
| 22 | Minnie Lee Griffin | 29 | Daughter | Cook | South Carolina |
| 23 | Zeb Alverson | 49 | Head | Car Inspector | South Carolina |
| 24 | Velma Alverson | 47 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 25 | Oscar Cato | 18 | Nephew | — | South Carolina |
| 26 | Audry Cato | 17 | Niece | — | South Carolina |
| 27 | Eugene Cato | 16 | Nephew | — | South Carolina |
| 28 | Jake S Cato | 56 | Brother-in-law | — | South Carolina |
| 29 | Boyce L Williams | 33 | Head | Carpenter | South Carolina |
| 30 | Pauline Williams | 30 | Wife | Mechanic | South Carolina |
| 31 | Nancy A Williams | 7 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 32 | Betty C Williams | 4 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 33 | Mary E Williams | 1 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 34 | Rudolph Williams | 38 | Head | Truck Driver | South Carolina |
| 35 | Gertrude Williams | 48 | Sister | — | South Carolina |
| 36 | Lottie Williams | 41 | Sister | — | South Carolina |
| 37 | Sara Williams | 35 | Sister | — | South Carolina |
| 38 | Lula Fowler | 62 | Head | Spinner | South Carolina |
| 39 | Vera Fowler | 39 | Daughter | End Puller | South Carolina |
Related Census Records
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)