WS
William Spencer — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Sussex-County, Delaware
Our Model Tree links this William Spencer across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Sussex-County, Delaware (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Thomas & Thomas — first a son (b.~1900), then head of a 9-person household.
Age 40
b. ~1900
Male
Son
Born: Delaware
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Sussex-County, Delaware |
| Surname | Spencer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 40 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Delaware |
| 1935 Residence (City) | 10th Rep. District |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Sussex |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | laborer |
| Industry | farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Delaware |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | delaware |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Township / Ward | 10Th Rep District |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1900 |
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.
9 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Spencer | Head | — | 75 | ~1865 |
| Pearl Spencer | Other | — | 27 | ~1913 |
| Allen Spencer | Other | — | 2 | ~1938 |
| William Bailey | Other | — | 61 | ~1879 |
| William Spencer | Other | — | 8 | ~1932 |
| Doris Spencer | Other | — | 5 | ~1935 |
| Le Spencer | Other | — | 6 | ~1934 |
| William Spencer | Son | — | 40 | ~1900 |
| Mary Spencer | Spouse | — | 72 | ~1868 |
Census Appearances
1920
Sussex, Delaware
Son, age 20
Sussex, Delaware · implied b. ~1900 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Spencer |
| Given Name | William W |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 20 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Delaware |
| Father's Birthplace | Delaware |
| Mother's Birthplace | Delaware |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Gen Farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Can Read | No |
| Can Write | No |
| Speaks English | Yes |
| Birth State | Delaware |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | delaware |
1930
Sussex, Delaware
Son, age 31
Sussex, Delaware · implied b. ~1899 — 3 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Spencer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 31 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Delaware |
| Father's Birthplace | Maryland |
| Mother's Birthplace | Delaware |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Farm |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | Delaware |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | delaware |
1940
Sussex-County, Delaware
Son, age 40
Sussex-County, Delaware · implied b. ~1900 — 9 household members
| Surname | Spencer |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 40 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | Delaware |
| 1935 Residence (City) | 10th Rep. District |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Sussex |
| Occupation | laborer |
| Industry | farm |
| Class of Worker | OA |
| Hours Worked | 60 |
| Income (1939) | 0 |
| Highest Grade | No 8 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | Delaware |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | delaware |
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 Spencer across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father Thomas Spencer (~0.92 confidence) and father Thomas Spencer (~0.92 confidence) and father Thomas Spencer (~0.92 confidence) and mother Mary Spencer (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 4 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
Thomas Spencer
b. ~1865
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Thomas Spencer
b. ~1865
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Thomas Spencer
b. ~1866
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Mary Spencer
b. ~1870
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
William Spencer
Son · 1940 · age 40 · b. ~1900 · Delaware
★ 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 — Sussex-County, Delaware
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Sussex-County, Delaware
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-00548-00629)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Thomas H. Parsons | 56 | Head | Mechanic | Delaware |
| 42 | Hulan Donovan | 25 | Head | Laborer | Delaware |
| 43 | Phoebe Donovan | 25 | Wife | Piece Work | Delaware |
| 44 | Thomas B. Spencer | 75 | Head | Laborer | Delaware |
| 45 | Mary E. Spencer | 72 | Wife | — | Delaware |
| 46 | William Spencer THIS PERSON | 40 | Son | Laborer | Delaware |
| 47 | Pearl Spencer | 27 | Daughter in law | — | Delaware |
| 48 | Doris E. Spencer | 5 | Grand daughter | — | Delaware |
| 49 | William Spencer | 8 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 50 | Le Roy Spencer | 6 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 51 | Allen Spencer | 2 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 52 | William Bailey | 61 | Brother in law | — | Delaware |
| 53 | James X. Ponder | 57 | Head | Laborer | Delaware |
| 54 | Linda L. Ponder | 54 | Wife | — | Delaware |
| 55 | James S. Ponder | 9 | Son | — | Delaware |
| 56 | Martha Morris | 19 | Servant | — | Delaware |
| 57 | Judson A. Bolin | 68 | Head | Principle | So. Carolina |
| 58 | Hilda C. Bolin | 50 | Wife | — | Maryland |
| 59 | William W. Bolin | 33 | Son | Insurance | Maryland |
| 60 | G. H. Miller | 44 | Head | Laborer | Delaware |
| 61 | Bessie Miller | 48 | Wife | Laborer | Penna. |
| 62 | G. H. Jr. Miller | 16 | Son | — | Delaware |
| 63 | Donald W. Miller | 9 | Son | — | Delaware |
| 64 | Robert H. Workman | 63 | Head | Laborer | Delaware |
| 65 | Virgie Workman | 56 | Wife | — | Delaware |
| 66 | Howard Workman | 34 | Son | Laborer | Delaware |
| 67 | Robert A. Workman | 31 | Son | Piece Work | Delaware |
| 68 | Marie H. Workman | 18 | Daughter in law | — | Delaware |
| 69 | Robert H. Workman | 1 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 70 | Fredick Reynolds | 24 | Head | Carpenter | Delaware |
| 71 | Roberta Reynolds | 24 | Wife | — | Delaware |
| 72 | Fredick W. Reynolds | 5 | Son | — | Delaware |
| 73 | Cordelia Reynolds | 2 | Daughter | — | Delaware |
| 74 | Sara E. Lawson | 83 | Head | — | Delaware |
| 75 | J. E. Clifton | 53 | Head | Mason | Delaware |
| 76 | Ella Clifton | 53 | Wife | — | Delaware |
| 77 | Calvin Clifton | 15 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 78 | Neal Clifton | 12 | Grand son | — | Delaware |
| 79 | Catherine Clifton | 9 | Grand daughter | — | Delaware |
| 80 | Denver Cropper | 28 | Head | Piece Work | Delaware |
Related Census Records
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)