WM
William Merritt — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Houston-County, Alabama
Our Model Tree links this William Merritt across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Houston-County, Alabama (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents J & Talbert — first a head (b.~1909), then head of a 5-person household.
Age 31
b. ~1909
Male
Head
Born: Alabama
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Houston-County, Alabama |
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | William P. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 31 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Beat 13 |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Houston |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 52 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Township / Ward | Beat 13 |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1909 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Merritt | Spouse | — | 28 | ~1912 |
| Mary Merritt | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Joseph Merritt | Son | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| William Merritt | Head | — | 31 | ~1909 |
| Laura Merritt | Daughter | — | 7 | ~1933 |
Census Appearances
1920
Houston, Alabama
Son, age 11
Houston, Alabama · implied b. ~1909 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | William P |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 11 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| Father's Birthplace | Florida |
| Mother's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Home Farm |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
1930
Houston, Alabama
Son, age 21
Houston, Alabama · implied b. ~1909 — 5 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | William J. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 21 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| Age at First Marriage | 20 |
| Father's Birthplace | Florida |
| Mother's Birthplace | Alabama |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
1940
Houston-County, Alabama
Head, age 31
Houston-County, Alabama · implied b. ~1909 — 5 household members
| Surname | Merritt |
| Given Name | William P. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 31 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Alabama |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Beat 13 |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Houston |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 52 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Alabama |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | alabama |
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 Merritt across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father J Merritt (~0.92 confidence) and father Talbert Merritt (~0.92 confidence) and mother Idella Merritt (~0.92 confidence) and mother Isabella Merritt (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 4 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
J Merritt
b. ~1877
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Talbert Merritt
b. ~1878
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Idella Merritt
b. ~1871
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Isabella Merritt
b. ~1877
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
William Merritt
Head · 1940 · age 31 · b. ~1909 · Alabama
★ 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 — Houston-County, Alabama
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Houston-County, Alabama
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00039-00483)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Annie Liza Mcgriff | 16 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 42 | Mary Lou Mcgriff | 11 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 43 | Martha Lee Mcgriff | 9 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 44 | Roosevelt Mcgriff | 7 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 45 | A. D. Mcgriff | 2 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 46 | Henry Henry | 37 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 47 | Ethel Lee Henry | 34 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 48 | Havana Henry | 14 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 49 | Kadelle Henry | 12 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 50 | Heard Lee Henry | 11 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 51 | Adriana Henry | 10 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 52 | William P. Merritt THIS PERSON | 31 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 53 | Alice Merritt | 28 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 54 | Mary Elizabeth Merritt | 9 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 55 | Laura Belle Merritt | 7 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 56 | Joseph William Merritt | 4 | Son | — | Alabama |
| 57 | Gus C. Hall | 54 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 58 | Lulie Hall | 52 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 59 | Otis Meneese | 21 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 60 | Nina Meneese | 22 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 61 | Willie Vaughn Cook | 37 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 62 | Ruby Cook | 37 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 63 | Mavis Cook | 16 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 64 | Jessie V. Cook | 11 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 65 | Mary Ellen Cook | 9 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 66 | Janelle Cook | 4 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
| 67 | Claudie Hughes | 45 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 68 | J. L. Hughes | 18 | Son | Laborer | Alabama |
| 69 | Frank Harrell | 64 | Head | Laborer | Alabama |
| 70 | Nancy Harrell | 68 | Wife | Laborer | Alabama |
| 71 | Johnny Harrell | 41 | Son | Laborer | Alabama |
| 72 | Sam Cook | 55 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 73 | Daisy Cook | 53 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 74 | Frances Pitts | 53 | Head | — | Alabama |
| 75 | Henry Pitts | 26 | Son | Farmer | Alabama |
| 76 | Ena Williams | 6 | Grandson | — | Alabama |
| 77 | Harrell Henderson | 4 | Grandson | — | Alabama |
| 78 | Albert Inglin | 29 | Head | Farmer | Alabama |
| 79 | Mildred Inglin | 27 | Wife | — | Alabama |
| 80 | Mildred Inglin | 4 | Daughter | — | Alabama |
Pedigree Summary
William
Gen 1 · 4 parents
~0.92
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)