Beatrice Marie Mohney was born Sunday March 21, 1926 in Vicksburg, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. She was the youngest child of her mother Jennie Belle (Shingledecker) Mohney in her marriage to John Ray Mohney. Beatrice was the youngest of 8 children. By the time Beatrice was born her mother was living back in Michigan with her children after living a short time in South Dakota with John Ray. John Ray did not go back to Michigan with them.
In 1930 Beatrice was living with her mother in Portage, Michigan. She was 4 at the time of the census that year. Her oldest sister Ethel was living at the home with her husband and her infant daughter, Jean. I imagine Beatrice, though the youngest, probably enjoyed being a part of such a big family. At least I would hope so as she would end up making a large family of her own.
In 1940 Beatrice lived in Schoolcraft, Michigan. She was 13 years old at the time of the census. It looks like she was the only daughter at home, but that could be wrong as the census does note her sister Ethel at home, but I think that was a sort of error on the census takers part. (I did find another census from the same year noting Ethel being in the home of her husband. With the exception of Ethel abandoning her children, I have a feeling she just happened to be at the house when the census taker came by and someone didn’t explain that she wasn’t supposed to be noted as living there. The census record for Jennie Belle’s house was taken about April 9. The census record for Ethel’s husband’s house was taken April 23. I think the census taker wasn’t clear when taking the record at Jennie Belle’s house. This is even though she was one of the people the census taker asked more detailed questions at the end of the page.)
Beatrice married Kenneth Julien on Tuesday March 5, 1946. Beatrice was 19 years old at the time of the wedding. The wedding took place in Otesego, Michigan. The place where Kenneth grew up. My guess is that they lived in Otesego at least at the beginning of their marriage. I can’t wait for 2022 for the release of the 1950 Census to see where Beatrice and Kenneth lived in the early years of their marriage.
The only other documents I have mentioning Beatrice before her death was her attending a friend’s wedding pantry (a type of wedding shower) from 1949 and the birth announcement of their daughter Jennie, my mother, that the hospital put in the news paper in 1953.
Beatrice Marie Julien died Saturday March 18, 1961, three days shy of her 35th birthday. She left behind her husband, Kenneth, and 8 children. Her death was noted in the Otsego Union newspaper.
On Their Shoulders 
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