WM
William Merrill — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Custer-County, Nebraska
Our Model Tree links this William Merrill across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Custer-County, Nebraska (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1883), then head of a 5-person household.
Age 57
b. ~1883
Male
Head
Born: Kansas
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Custer-County, Nebraska |
| Surname | Merrill |
| Given Name | William L. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 57 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Kansas |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Algernon Township |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Custer |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farming |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | H 1 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Kansas |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | kansas |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Township / Ward | Algernon Township |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1883 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clara Merrill | Spouse | — | 38 | ~1902 |
| Betty Merrill | Daughter | — | 16 | ~1924 |
| William Merrill | Son | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| William Merrill | Head | — | 57 | ~1883 |
| Joan Merrill | Daughter | — | 8 | ~1932 |
Census Appearances
1930
Custer, Nebraska
Head, age 46
Custer, Nebraska · implied b. ~1884 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Merrill |
| Given Name | William S. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 46 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Kansas |
| Age at First Marriage | 39 |
| Father's Birthplace | Massachusetts |
| Mother's Birthplace | Indiana |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General farm |
| Class of Worker | E |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Birth State | Kansas |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | kansas |
1940
Custer-County, Nebraska
Head, age 57
Custer-County, Nebraska · implied b. ~1883 — 5 household members
| Surname | Merrill |
| Given Name | William L. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 57 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Kansas |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Algernon Township |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Custer |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farming |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | H 1 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Kansas |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | kansas |
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 Merrill across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
William Merrill
Head · 1940 · age 57 · b. ~1883 · Nebraska
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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 — Custer-County, Nebraska
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Custer-County, Nebraska
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02242-00440)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Draister | 51 | Head | Farmer | Nebraska |
| 2 | Henrietta Draister | 67 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 3 | Arthur Lundt | 40 | Head | Farming | Nebraska |
| 4 | Lina Lundt | 46 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 5 | Marcile Lundt | 17 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 6 | William D. Bennett | 27 | Head | Laborer | Nebraska |
| 7 | Thel B. Bennett | 24 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 8 | Larry D. Bennett | 2 | Son | — | Nebraska |
| 9 | Shirley J. Bennett | 1 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 10 | Joseph E. Alexander | 46 | Head | Farmer | Nebraska |
| 11 | Emma Alexander | 49 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 12 | Leman Alexander | 21 | Son | Laborer | Nebraska |
| 13 | Boyd Alexander | 18 | Son | Laborer | Nebraska |
| 14 | Hollie Alexander | 17 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 15 | Robert Alexander | 13 | Son | — | Nebraska |
| 16 | Isaac Keplinger | 59 | Head | — | Nebraska |
| 17 | Lola Belle Keplinger | 20 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 18 | William L. Merrill THIS PERSON | 57 | Head | Farmer | Kansas |
| 19 | Clara Merrill | 38 | Wife | — | Kansas |
| 20 | Betty Lou Merrill | 16 | Daughter | — | Kansas |
| 21 | William Sherman Merrill | 9 | Son | — | Nebraska |
| 22 | Joan Irene Merrill | 8 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 23 | Leo L. Watkins | 31 | Head | Farmer | Nebraska |
| 24 | Ellen Watkins | 32 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 25 | Corlee Watkins | 10 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 26 | Richard Watkins | 9 | Son | — | Nebraska |
| 27 | Joe Cherry | 45 | Head | Farmer | Missouri |
| 28 | Rose Cherry | 39 | Wife | — | Arkansas |
| 29 | Ladine Cherry | 14 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 30 | Lucile Cherry | 12 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 31 | Elda Cherry | 4 | Daughter | — | Nebraska |
| 32 | Frank G. Amstutz | 59 | Head | Farmer | Nebraska |
| 33 | Elizabeth Amstutz | 59 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 34 | John E. Amstutz | 20 | Son | Farmer | Iowa |
| 35 | John Kramer | 59 | Head | Farmer | Germany |
| 36 | Bertha Kramer | 52 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 37 | Ray G. Philson | 47 | Head | Farmer | Iowa |
| 38 | Hannah Philson | 43 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 39 | Alma Philson | 19 | Daughter | Waitress | Nebraska |
| 40 | Dale Philson | 9 | Son | — | Nebraska |
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)