WT
William Thornton — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Erie-County, New York
Our Model Tree links this William Thornton across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Erie-County, New York (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents William & William — first a son (b.~1907), then head of a 4-person household.
Age 33
b. ~1907
Male
Son
Born: New York
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Erie-County, New York |
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 33 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Buffalo City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Erie |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Steel Plant |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 24 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 2 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Township / Ward | Buffalo City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1907 |
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.
4 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Thornton | Son | — | 27 | ~1913 |
| William Thornton | Son | — | 33 | ~1907 |
| Julia Thornton | Spouse | — | 59 | ~1881 |
| William Thornton | Head | — | 62 | ~1878 |
Census Appearances
1920
Erie, New …
Son, age 9
Erie, New York · implied b. ~1911 — 7 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | William P. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 9 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| Father's Birthplace | Kentucky |
| Mother's Birthplace | Kentucky |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
1930
Erie, New …
Son, age 20
Erie, New York · implied b. ~1910 — 6 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | William P |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 20 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| Father's Birthplace | Kentucky |
| Mother's Birthplace | Kentucky |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper |
| Industry | Office |
| Class of Worker | W |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
1940
Erie-County, New …
Son, age 33
Erie-County, New York · implied b. ~1907 — 4 household members
| Surname | Thornton |
| Given Name | William |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 33 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | New York |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Buffalo City |
| 1935 Residence (County) | Erie |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Steel Plant |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 24 |
| Highest Grade | Hs 2 |
| 1935 Residence | Same place |
| Birth State | New York |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | new york |
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 Thornton across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: father William Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and father William Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and father William Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and mother Julia Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and mother Margaret Thornton (~0.92 confidence) and mother Margaret Thornton (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 6 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Father
William Thornton
b. ~1878
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
William Thornton
b. ~1879
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
William Thornton
b. ~1876
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Julia Thornton
b. ~1881
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Margaret Thornton
b. ~1882
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Margaret Thornton
b. ~1887
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
William Thornton
Son · 1940 · age 33 · b. ~1907 · New York
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Donald Thornton
Sibling · 1940 · age 27
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Confirmed / household (~0.90+)
Probable / derived (~0.65–0.89)
Candidate (<0.65, unverified)
Original Census Page
1940 US Federal Census — Erie-County, New York
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Erie-County, New York
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-02823-00771)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Margaret R. Carey | 23 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 42 | Herbert Lee | 64 | Head | Switchman | New York |
| 43 | Louise B. Lee | 54 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 44 | Edward Healey | 42 | Head | Fireman | New York |
| 45 | Mary P. Healey | 40 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 46 | Elizabeth Healey | 11 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 47 | Margaret Healey | 8 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 48 | Mary Gorman | 60 | Mother-in-law | Home | Ireland |
| 49 | Mary P. Schild | 73 | Head | Housekeeper | Pennsylvania |
| 50 | Edith Schild | 35 | Daughter | Bookkeeper | New York |
| 51 | James E. Noonan | 50 | Head | Stationary Engineer | New York |
| 52 | Elizabeth M. Noonan | 45 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 53 | Patrick Noonan | 78 | Father | — | New York |
| 54 | Gerald Mcdonell | 42 | Head | Foreman | Indiana |
| 55 | Hilda A. Mcdonell | 41 | Wife | Housewife | Pennsylvania |
| 56 | George H. Moore | 84 | Head | — | New York |
| 57 | Frank T. Moore | 45 | Head | Screw Inspector | New York |
| 58 | Martha M. Moore | 44 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 59 | Frank Moore | 19 | Son | — | New York |
| 60 | Marjorie Moore | 17 | Daughter | — | New York |
| 61 | Andrew J. Balkin | 69 | Son-in-law | — | New York |
| 62 | Fred S. Cornell | 62 | Head | Conductor | New York |
| 63 | Jennie Cornell | 56 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 64 | James E. Proctor | 67 | Lodger | — | New York |
| 65 | Conrad Stengel | 46 | Head | Machinist | New York |
| 66 | Clara Stengel | 40 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 67 | Conrad H. Stengel | 21 | Son | Clerk | New York |
| 68 | William Stengel | 7 | Son | — | New York |
| 69 | Eleanor Williams | 47 | Head | Housekeeper | New York |
| 70 | Paul Williams | 31 | Brother | Bartender | New York |
| 71 | Bernard Williams | 28 | Brother | Laborer | New York |
| 72 | Richard Williams | 27 | Brother | Steel Worker | New York |
| 73 | William Thornton | 62 | Head | Brakeman | New York |
| 74 | Julia A. Thornton | 59 | Wife | Housewife | New York |
| 75 | William Thornton THIS PERSON | 33 | Son | Laborer | New York |
| 76 | Donald Thornton | 27 | Son | — | New York |
| 77 | Margaret Reiser | 79 | Head | Home | Pennsylvania |
| 78 | John Scanlon | 44 | Head | Bank Clerk | New York |
| 79 | Catherine Scanlon | 66 | Mother | Housewife | Ireland |
| 80 | Anna Scanlon | 45 | Sister | Playleader | New York |
Pedigree Summary
William + 1 sibling
Gen 1 · 6 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)