WS
William Shaffer — 1940 US Census Record
Linked across censuses1940 United States Federal Census · Preston-County, West Virginia
Our Model Tree links this William Shaffer across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Preston-County, West Virginia (XGBoost, ~Confirmed) — first a head (b.~1888), then head of a 5-person household.
Age 52
b. ~1888
Male
Head
Born: West Virginia
Married
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Preston-County, West Virginia |
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William B. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 52 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Union District |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Preston |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | own Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 45 |
| Income (1939) | 670 |
| Highest Grade | No 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Township / Ward | Union District |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1888 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edith Shaffer | Spouse | — | 48 | ~1892 |
| Chester Shaffer | Son | — | 19 | ~1921 |
| Maxine Shaffer | Daughter | — | 9 | ~1931 |
| Verlin Shaffer | Son | — | 23 | ~1917 |
| William Shaffer | Head | — | 52 | ~1888 |
Census Appearances
1920
Preston, West …
Head, age 32
Preston, West Virginia · implied b. ~1888 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 32 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Father's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Occupation | Labor |
| Can Read | Yes |
| Can Write | Yes |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Home Free/Mortgaged | M |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1930
Preston, West …
Head, age 42
Preston, West Virginia · implied b. ~1888 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 42 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Age at First Marriage | 22 |
| Father's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Mother's Birthplace | West Virginia |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Home Owned/Rented | O |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
1940
Preston-County, West …
Head, age 52
Preston-County, West Virginia · implied b. ~1888 — 5 household members
| Surname | Shaffer |
| Given Name | William B. |
| Relationship to Head | Head |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 52 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Birthplace | West Virginia |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Union District |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Preston |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | own Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 45 |
| Income (1939) | 670 |
| Highest Grade | No 4 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | West Virginia |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | west virginia |
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 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage.
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This person
Anchor record
William Shaffer
Head · 1940 · age 52 · b. ~1888 · West Virginia
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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 — Preston-County, West Virginia
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Preston-County, West Virginia
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-04439-00704)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Armond D. Hessletine | 44 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 42 | Bessie Hessletine | 32 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 43 | Barbara Hessletine | 7 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 44 | Belinda Hessletine | 77 | Mother | — | West Virginia |
| 45 | Lou W. D. Bell | 66 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 46 | Carrie Bell | 69 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 47 | Gilbert Bell | 37 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 48 | John D. Rexroad | 21 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 49 | Howard Thorne | 33 | Head | — | West Virginia |
| 50 | Virginia Thorne | 26 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 51 | Mary Thorne | 5 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 52 | James Thorne | 4 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 53 | William Thorne | 1 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 54 | Henry Evans | 63 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 55 | Web Evans | 33 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 56 | Wade Evans | 29 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 57 | Gertrude Evans | 20 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 58 | Klaus Rembold | 52 | Head | Operator | West Virginia |
| 59 | Priscilla Rembold | 55 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 60 | Oma Rembold | 22 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 61 | Hugh Rembold | 20 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 62 | Ray Rembold | 17 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 63 | Gay Rembold | 17 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 64 | Ralph Wolfe | 20 | Hired Hand | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 65 | Cora Helmick | 55 | Mother | — | West Virginia |
| 66 | John H. D. Polomble | 83 | Father | Laborer | Maryland |
| 67 | Sarah Polomble | 73 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 68 | Edison Lewis | 23 | Grandson | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 69 | Julius Arnold | 52 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 70 | Arizona Arnold | 58 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 71 | Glen Arnold | 18 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 72 | Alvin Arnold | 13 | Son | — | West Virginia |
| 73 | William B. Shaffer THIS PERSON | 52 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 74 | Edith Shaffer | 48 | Wife | — | West Virginia |
| 75 | Verlin Shaffer | 23 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 76 | Chester Shaffer | 19 | Son | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 77 | Maxine Shaffer | 9 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
| 78 | Levi D. Shaffer | 63 | Head | Laborer | West Virginia |
| 79 | Bertha Shaffer | 58 | Wife | — | Kentucky |
| 80 | L. Pearl Shaffer | 17 | Daughter | — | West Virginia |
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)