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William Willis — 1940 US Census Record
Model Tree available1940 United States Federal Census · Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Our Model Tree links this William Willis across the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Censuses in Spartanburg-County, South Carolina (XGBoost, ~Confirmed), with identified parents Ellie & Alfred — first a son (b.~1915), then head of a 7-person household.
Age 25
b. ~1915
Male
Son
Born: South Carolina
Single
1940 Census Record Details
| Census Year | 1940 |
| Location | Spartanburg-County, South Carolina |
| Surname | Willis |
| Given Name | William Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 25 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Spartanburg city |
| Additional Details | |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Industry | Retail meat company |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 78 |
| Income (1939) | 400 |
| Highest Grade | H 4 |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Township / Ward | Spartanburg City |
| Est. Birth Year | ~1915 |
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.
7 people recorded at the same address in the 1940 census.
| Name | Relation to head | Relative to William | Age | Birth yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Willis | Spouse | — | 49 | ~1891 |
| John Edge | Other | — | 25 | ~1915 |
| Barbara Edge | Other | — | 4 | ~1936 |
| Mary Willis | Daughter | — | 21 | ~1919 |
| William Willis | Son | — | 25 | ~1915 |
| Ellie Edge | Daughter | — | 24 | ~1916 |
| Bud Willis | Head | — | 52 | ~1888 |
Census Appearances
1920
Spartanburg, South …
Son, age 4
Spartanburg, South Carolina · implied b. ~1916 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Willis |
| Given Name | William C. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 4 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
1930
Spartanburg, South …
Son, age 15
Spartanburg, South Carolina · implied b. ~1915 — 4 household members
●
Primary link
· ~Confirmed · 2 sources
XGBoost
Household
| Surname | Willis |
| Given Name | William S. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 15 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Father's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Can Read/Write | Yes |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
1940
Spartanburg-County, South …
Son, age 25
Spartanburg-County, South Carolina · implied b. ~1915 — 7 household members
| Surname | Willis |
| Given Name | William Jr. |
| Relationship to Head | Son |
| Sex | M |
| Color / Race | White |
| Age | 25 |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| 1935 Residence (City) | Spartanburg city |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Industry | Retail meat company |
| Class of Worker | PW |
| Hours Worked | 78 |
| Income (1939) | 400 |
| Highest Grade | H 4 |
| Birth State | South Carolina |
| Birth Country | United States |
| Birthplace (normalized) | south carolina |
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 Willis across 3 US Census years (1920, 1930 and 1940) in 2 locations, using XGBoost record linkage. Identified parents: mother Ellie Willis (~0.92 confidence) and father Alfred Willis (~0.92 confidence) and father Bud Willis (~0.92 confidence) and mother Ring Willis (~0.92 confidence). The pedigree spans 1 generation with 4 identified ancestors.
Show:
Gen 1
Parents
confidence ≈ 0.92
Mother
Ellie Willis
b. ~1880
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Alfred Willis
b. ~1881
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Father
Bud Willis
b. ~1888
Source father
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
Mother
Ring Willis
b. ~1891
Source mother
● Household
· direct · ~0.92
This person
Anchor record
William Willis
Son · 1940 · age 25 · b. ~1915 · South Carolina
★ You are viewing this record
Sibling
Ellie Edge
Sibling · 1940 · age 24
Source co-child of head (derived)
● Co-child · derived · ~0.88
Sibling
Mary Willis
Sibling · 1940 · age 21
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 — Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Open full size
1940 US Federal Census — Spartanburg-County, South Carolina
Page Contents
40 people indexed on this census page (nara:1940:m-t0627-03839-00512)
| Line | Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Casper K. Mingus | 34 | Nephew | Clerk | South Carolina |
| 42 | Wilson F. Greey | 28 | Head | Communication Operator | Maryland |
| 43 | Artie P. Greey | 28 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 44 | Bud W. Willis | 52 | Head | Salesman | South Carolina |
| 45 | Ring M. Willis | 49 | Wife | — | Nebraska |
| 46 | William Jr. Willis THIS PERSON | 25 | Son | Salesman | South Carolina |
| 47 | Mary L. Willis | 21 | Daughter | Waitress | North Carolina |
| 48 | John W. Edge | 25 | Son-in-law | Clerk | North Carolina |
| 49 | Ellie W. Edge | 24 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 50 | Barbara J. Edge | 4 | Granddaughter | — | South Carolina |
| 51 | George E. Thompson | 56 | Head | Medical Doctor | North Carolina |
| 52 | Blanche P. Thompson | 45 | Wife | Violin Teacher | North Carolina |
| 53 | Dorothy Thompson | 19 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 54 | William S. Mcdowell | 51 | Head | Salesman | North Carolina |
| 55 | Lottie T. Mcdowell | 54 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 56 | Jerry Mcdowell | 16 | Son | Clerk | North Carolina |
| 57 | Daniel C. Starr | 42 | Head | Book-Keeper | Georgia |
| 58 | Shirley Starr | 40 | Wife | — | Georgia |
| 59 | Eugenia Starr | 13 | Daughter | — | Georgia |
| 60 | Patricia Starr | 9 | Daughter | — | Virginia |
| 61 | Ebbie F. Rowley | 59 | Head | — | South Carolina |
| 62 | Essie M. Rowley | 42 | Wife | — | North Carolina |
| 63 | Woodrow W. Clardy | 26 | Head | Weaver | South Carolina |
| 64 | Mary L. Clardy | 25 | Wife | Spooler | South Carolina |
| 65 | Charles L. Davis | 39 | Head | Run-Drawing | North Carolina |
| 66 | Helen Davis | 31 | Wife | — | Virginia |
| 67 | Joseph C. Davis | 6 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 68 | Otto Ruppe | 37 | Head | Weaver | North Carolina |
| 69 | Enaula Ruppe | 26 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 70 | J. D. Griffin | 27 | Head | — | Georgia |
| 71 | Neomie Griffin | 20 | Wife | — | South Carolina |
| 72 | C. J. Culberson | 25 | Head | Laborer | North Carolina |
| 73 | Dorothy M. Culberson | 20 | Wife | Laborer | Alabama |
| 74 | David Culberson | 4 | Son | — | North Carolina |
| 75 | Jeanette Culberson | 2 | Daughter | — | South Carolina |
| 76 | James L. Blackwell | 48 | Head | Barber | North Carolina |
| 77 | James Jr. Blackwell | 19 | Son | New Work | South Carolina |
| 78 | William Blackwell | 17 | Son | — | South Carolina |
| 79 | Jack Blackwell | 15 | Son | — | South Carolina |
| 80 | Joe Blackwell | 10 | Son | — | South Carolina |
Pedigree Summary
William + 2 siblings
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)