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William Shaffer — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Dubuque-County, Iowa
Our Model Tree links this William Shaffer across the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Dubuque-County, Iowa (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1906), then head of a 10-person household.
Age 34
b. ~1906
Male
Head
Born: Iowa
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Dubuque-County, Iowa |
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 34 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Dubuque City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Dubuque |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | street construction |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 24 |
| Income (1939) | 402 |
| Highest Grade | No 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Township / Ward | Dubuque City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1906 |
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.
10 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Shaffer | Son | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Edna Shaffer | Spouse | — | 33 | ~1907 |
| William Shaffer | Head | — | 34 | ~1906 |
| Shirley Shaffer | Daughter | — | 2 | ~1938 |
| Lorraine Shaffer | Daughter | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| Rita Shaffer | Daughter | — | 6 | ~1934 |
| Alice Shaffer | Daughter | — | 15 | ~1925 |
| Irwin Shaffer | Son | — | 14 | ~1926 |
| William Shaffer | Son | — | ~1940 | |
| Donald Shaffer | Son | — | 12 | ~1928 |
Census Appearances
1930
Dubuque, Iowa
Head, age 24
Dubuque, Iowa · implied b. ~1906 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Sheffer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 24 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| Age at First Marriage | 18 |
| Father's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Mother's Birthplace | Iowa |
| Occupation | Fireman |
| Industry | Railroad |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | R |
| Home Value / Rent | 15 |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
1940
Dubuque-County, Iowa
Head, age 34
Dubuque-County, Iowa · implied b. ~1906 — 10 household members
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 34 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | Iowa |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Dubuque City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Dubuque |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | street construction |
| Class of Worker | GW |
| Hours Worked | 24 |
| Income (1939) | 402 |
| Highest Grade | No 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Iowa |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | iowa |
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 Shaffer across 2 US Census years (1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
William Shaffer
Head · 1940 · age 34 · b. ~1906 · Iowa
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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 — Dubuque-County, Iowa
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Dubuque-County, Iowa
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-01158-00781)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Shaffer THIS PERSON | 34 | Head | Laborer | Iowa |
| 2 | Edna Shaffer | 33 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 3 | Alice Shaffer | 15 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 4 | Irwin Shaffer | 14 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 5 | Donald Shaffer | 12 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 6 | John Shaffer | 9 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 7 | Rita Shaffer | 6 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 8 | Lorraine Shaffer | 4 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 9 | Shirley Shaffer | 2 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 10 | William Shaffer | 0 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 11 | Raymond Prezler | 43 | Head | Bench-Hand | Iowa |
| 12 | Marie Prezler | 37 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 13 | Raymond Prezler | 13 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 14 | Richard Prezler | 9 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 15 | Marie Prezler | 3 | Daughter | — | Iowa |
| 16 | Daniel Prezler | 1 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 17 | Mary Weber | 54 | Head | — | Iowa |
| 18 | Elsie Weber | 23 | Daughter | Binding | Iowa |
| 19 | Joseph Kaufmann | 28 | Son | Salesman | Iowa |
| 20 | Anna Bishop | 83 | Sister-law | — | Germany |
| 21 | Franklin Fink | 63 | Uncle | — | New York |
| 22 | Charles Osborn | 59 | Head | — | Indiana |
| 23 | Anna Osborn | 59 | Wife | — | Indiana |
| 24 | Lynn Osborn | 33 | Son | Upholsterer | Indiana |
| 25 | Lottie Osborn | 33 | Daughter-law | — | Iowa |
| 26 | Lynn Osborn | 14 | Grandson | — | Iowa |
| 27 | Emmet Osborn | 7 | Grandson | — | Iowa |
| 28 | Rodney Hill | 20 | Son | Packing Dept. | Iowa |
| 29 | Ralph C. Schmeback | 0 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 30 | Mike Wofchonsky | 51 | Head | Powderman | Russia |
| 31 | Clara Wofchonsky | 41 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 32 | Louis E. Schenk | 24 | Head | Merchandiser | Minnesota |
| 33 | Arise Schenk | 23 | Wife | — | Illinois |
| 34 | David A. Schenk | 0 | Son | — | Iowa |
| 35 | Paul Johnson | 60 | Head | Foreman | Missouri |
| 36 | Margaret Johnson | 60 | Wife | — | Missouri |
| 37 | August Greene | 66 | Head | Bench-Hand | Germany |
| 38 | Palma Greene | 63 | Wife | — | Iowa |
| 39 | Ralph Greene | 33 | Son | Machine Hand | Iowa |
| 40 | Roy Fleming | 24 | Head | Laborer | Iowa |
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)