Halcro-Varone Project
Varone-Hennessey Line
By Don Taylor

Beatrice Hennessey is one of the most confounding ancestors I’ve researched. Besides changing her first name from Bridget to Beatrice, she appears to vanish after the 1940 Census. (More about that later.) All-in-all, I’ve probably spent more time researching Beatrice than any other ancestor I’ve researched, diving into rabbit hole after rabbit hole. At some point, it becomes time to move on. I’ll return to Beatrice sometime in the future, but this is what I’ve found for now.

Halcro-Varone – Ancestor #07

List of Grandparents

• • Grandmother: Beatrice Hennessey
  • 1^st Great-grandfather: John James Hennessey

Beatrice Mary Hennessey (1893-___)

Birth

Born Bridget Mary Hennessey on 4 August 1893[i] in Providence, Rhode Island, she was the first of 12 children of John James and Margaret (Pendergast) Hennessy.

Children of John James Hennessey and Margaret Pendergast

* All children were born in Providence, Rhode Island

1900 Census

Bridget was six years old, living with her parents and younger brother, Joseph. Her mother, Margaret, has had four children, two of whom were living. Two of Bridget’s siblings (Mary Ellen and Richard William) were born and died between 1890 and 1900.[iii] Also living with them was Margaret’s sister, Mary Daly.

1910 Census

Sometime between 1900 and 1910, Bridget changed her first name to Beatrice. The 1910 Census reported sixteen-year-old Beatrice living with her parents and six siblings. She was working as a saleswoman at a dry-good store. Beatrice’s mother had lost two more babies between 1900 and 1910.

1911 – Two Tragedies

In July 1911, a heatwave gripped the country. On 5 July, the temperature in Providence reached the mid-90s. On 6 July, many shops, factories, and stores closed to let people stay cool in the 97-degree heat. To keep cool, Beatrice’s brother, nine-year-old John, went swimming with his older friend and neighbor Vincent White (age 11) at the John R. White and Son coal pocket in the Seekonk River. Vincent survived, but John drowned. His body was recovered later that day.

On 1 November 1911, Beatrice’s brother, seven-year-old Thomas, died of myotonia congenita, a hereditary muscle disorder. So, by 1911, six of Beatrice’s eleven siblings had died.

Marriage

Beatrice married James Vincenzo Varone on 23 October 1916 in Providence. She was 22, and James was 27 years old.

Children of James Vincenzo and Beatrice Mary (Hennessey) Varone

1920 Census

I have been unsuccessful in finding Beatrice and James in the 1920 Census.

1925 Rhode Island Census

Beatrice lives with her husband, James, at the rear of 1233 Westminster Street, Providence, with their four oldest children, Albert, Anthony, Florence, and Beatrice (Mildred and James were born later.) Today, 1233 Westminster is the home of PPW – Paper & Provisions Warehouse, a restaurant supply superstore.

1930 Census

I have been unsuccessful in finding Beatrice in the 1930 Census[v]. James, however, is rooming at 327 Washington with many other roomers. Beatrice appears in the various city directories living with James in 1930, 1931, and 1932. However, it does not appear they were living together.

1940 Census

Beatrice appears as an inmate at the House of the Good Shepherd. The majority of the girls who entered the House were put there by their families as “a refuge and home for educating and reforming children (girls) exposed to dangerous influences regarding morality.”[vi] The preferred minimum confinement was one year to 18 months. The vast majority of the inmates at the House were teenagers. While at the House, inmates toiled without pay for 60 hours a week in silence, except for their morning prayer. They were only educated in laundry, sewing, and embroidery.[vii] Beatrice was, by far, the oldest of the inmates listed at the House during the 1940 Census. The House was at 189 Eaton Street.

Beatrice’s daughter, Florence, was a 21-year-old nursing student at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Beatrice’s other children live with their father and stepmother at 448 Pleasant Valley Parkway.

I have been unsuccessful in finding Beatrice in any records after 1940. However, it appears that after her release from the House of the Good Shepherd, she returned to using her maiden name of Hennessey.

In 1955, she was mentioned as surviving her sister’s (Margaret) and her father’s (John James Hennessey) deaths. She was also mentioned in a 1957 obituary as surviving her brother’s (Joseph) death.

Death/Burial, etc.

Unknown (See Further Actions)

Events by Location

• • Rhode Island, Providence County, Providence – All known events in Beatrice’s life (Birth—1894 to 1940) occurred in Providence.

Further Actions / Follow-up

• • Do a Census study of the neighbors living at and near 1233 Westminster in the 1920 and 1930 censuses to determine if Beatrice her kids were missed or erroneously entered.
  • Get a copy of the actual birth record for Bridget/Beatrice Mary Hennessey.
  • Attempt to acquire records of Beatrice’s time at the Providence House of the Good Shepherd.
  • Find/search for death records, and possible mention, in the obituaries for her sister, Anna Mary Hennessey Buckley, and her brothers, James and William Hennessey.
  • Do a deep search for Beatrice’s death record.

Sources

• 1900 Census, Various, 1900 – John Hennesey – Providence, Rhode Island – ED-41, Sheet 7B, Line 76. “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M97R-JSB : accessed 12 November 2021), John Hennesey, District 1 Providence city Ward 5, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 41, sheet 7B, family 146, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,507. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M97R-JSB.
• 1910 Census, Various, John Hennessy – Providence Ward 4, Providence, Rhode Island, ED 183, Sheet 3A. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MP6L-L4X : accessed 10 November 2021), John Hennessy, Providence Ward 4, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 183, sheet 3A, family 48, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1442; FHL microfilm 1,375,455.
• 1925 Rhode Island Census, Ancestry.com, 1925 Census – James Varone – Enumerated 22 April 1925. Accessed 25 September 2021. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=RICensus&indiv=try&h=2452863.
• 1955-01-23, Page 58 – Obit – Margaret V Hennessy. Providence_Journal_1955-01-23_58 – Margaret V Hennessey., Providence Journal, Providence, Rhode Island (GenealogyBank.Com).
• 1955-02-28, Page 15 – Obit – John J Hennessy. Providence_Journal_1955-02-28_15 – John J Hennessey.pdf., Providence Journal, Providence, Rhode Island (GenealogyBank.Com).
• 1957-11-28, Page 70 – Obit – Joseph P Hennessy. Providence_Journal_1957-11-28_70 – Joseph P Hennessey.png., Providence Journal, Providence, Rhode Island (GenealogyBank.Com).
• Rhode Island, State Births Index, 1819, 1852-1900, Family Search, Bridget Mary Hennessey – Birth 4 August 1894. “Rhode Island, State Births Index, 1819, 1852-1900”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8M9-Q4M : 4 November 2020), Bridget Mary Hennessey, 1894.
• Rhode Island, U.S., Marriage Index, 1851-1920, Ancestry.com, Vincenzo Varone – Beatrice M Hennessey – 23 October 1916. (No Image). Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, U.S., Rhode Island, U.S., Marriage Index, 1851-1920. Marriage Index, 1851-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/4263/records/211974/.
• S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, 1928, Page 1332 – Varone. Providence [1928] Directory.
• S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, 1930, Page 1335 – Varone. For the Year Ending April 1931
• S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, 1931, Page 1269 – Varone. For the year ending April 1932.
• S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, 1932, Page 1276 & 1277 – Varone.
• S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com, Florence Josephine Depasquale – Death Apr 1992 (No Image). Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.
• S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Ancestry.com, James Varone. Registration State: Rhode Island; Registration County: Providence. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/10913814:6482.

Endnotes

[i] The Rhode Island State Birth Index indicates Bridget was born on 4 August 1894, all other records indicate she was born in 1893. I believe the index is incorrect.

[ii] The 1910 Census indicates that Margaret had 11 children, seven of whom were living. One child whose initials were S. B., was stillborn on 23 January 1908. A second child, whose name is unknown was born between 1900 and 1910. The other two children  died before 1900 (Endnote iii).

[iii] The 1900 Census indicates that Margaret had four children, two of whom were living. Mary Ellen was born in 1897 and died in 1898. Richard William was born in 1898 and died in 1899.

[iv] Albert was born 6 July 1916, three and one-half months before James and Beatrice were married.

[v] My suspicion is that because Beatrice and James lived in the rear of 1233 Westminster in 1925, they were missed during the 1920 and 1930 Censuses by the census taker. I plan to do a neighbors census study to confirm this suspicion.

[vi] Internet – Wikitree – House of the Good Shepherd. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:House_of_the_Good_Shepherd.

[vii] The Providence Journal, Sept 6, 2021, “Labor Day observance commemorates women and girls who worked without pay at Providence home” by Katie Mulvaney. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/courts/2021/09/06/women-toiled-without-pay-providence-house-good-shepherd/5747153001/