Camann photos

Remember how excited I was a while back when I found all the Camann children!

My dad has been visiting us through this summer and he brought a box of family history that his father, Don Caman, had compiled.  I have been going through the box and scanning all the documents and photos, etc.  Yesterday, I came across a photo, and dad and I were trying to figure out who it was, as (sigh!) there was no name or date on the back of the photo.  (SOAPBOX: Write on the backs of your photos people!!)

We could tell it was a Camann, as it bore a striking resemblance to Carl Camann, as seen in this not-so-great copy of a photograph of Augustus Camann (my 3rd great-grandfather) and his brother, Carl Camann (on the right, in the right-hand photo):

But, we decided, the clothes were telling that this was not Carl, so, could it be their father Christoph Friedrich Camann??  His clothes were definitely an older style.

Then I saw this photo!!  I knew who it was before I turned the photo over.  That is what I love about family history!  You connect with people you have never met, and you KNOW them, even though you have not shared the same time on the earth.  I knew!  This is a photo of my 4th great-grandmother, Louise Friedericke Grobengiesser Camann!!

Isn't she marvelous?!!  What a beautiful photograph!  I turned it over and nearly started to cry when I saw her name written on the back of the photo.  I was instantly connected to her and all I know about her and her life!  Wonderful!!

And there was more!  In another file I found many of the other members of the Camann family! 

1. Frederich August Camann

2. Augustus William Camann

3. Wilhelm Julius Camann

4. Louise W Camann - no photo

5. Charles (Carl) Gotthilf Camann

6. Johannes Heinrich Camann

7. Paul Leberecht Camann - no photo

8. Augusta Louise Camann

9. Anna Lydia Camann

10. Martha Henriette Camann

And then, a few folders later, I found this paper, that confirms that the original photo we found was, indeed, Christoph Frederich Camann!

It is so thrilling to find wonderful photographs like these!! I love the photo of a young Augustus William Camann and the Civil War photo of his brother, Wilhelm!

I know this one is not a Camann (although her daughter would be by marriage), but I had the same reaction to this photo as I did to the one of Louise.  I am fairly certain that this is a photo of Anna Teressa Halligan, my 2nd great-grandmother. 

This photo looks very much like the photos I have of her daughter, Annie, but again, the period clothing make it seem more likely that this is Anna.  

What an absolute thrill!!  These women are so important to me and I am so happy to be able to have faces to put with the names!!

Direct line ancestry: Christoph Friederich Camann --> Augustus William Caman --> William Harrison Caman --> Clarence Chapman Caman -- Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Marshall Nehring

Thomas Halligan and James Costello

With the help of my Halligan cousin, Cynthia, we think we may have found the name of Thomas Halligan's father.  And, his wife, Ann's, father as well.

This is from the website www.mayoancestors.com (The Mayo is for Mayo County, Ireland) and it shows the marriage between Thomas Halligan and Ann Costello.  Listed as witnesses 1 and 2 are James Costello and Thomas Halligan.  On another record it refers to them as "pt" instead of witness.  Cynthia and I are speculating that "pt" stands for parent, as it is completely reasonable that the fathers would stand in as witnesses.  So, it would seem that Thomas Halligan is Thomas Halligan's father, and James Costello is Ann Costello's father.

Direct line ancestry: Thomas Halligan:James Costello --> Thomas Halligan:Ann Costello --> Anna Teressa Halligan --> Annie Marie Sammon --> Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Teressa Marshall Nehring

Anna Halligan Sammon Warren and Annie Sammon Ramey Caman

The excitement continues!! : )

My grandfather, Don Caman, said: "My grandmother (Anna Halligan) married William Sammon.  His father and his family came from Ireland.  William Sammon was apparently a ne'er-do-well because my grandmother, who was a staunch Catholic, they had three children, she divorced him.  Then eventually she married William Warren."

Marriage record of Anna Teressa Halligan to William Sammon - 12 November 1879
 in Greene County, Iowa

Marriage record of Anna Teressa Halligan Sammon to William M. Warren - 24 October 1898 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa

He mentions three children, but I only knew of my great-grandmother, Annie Marie (or Amy Marie, or Marie, or Mary).  Despite her many name changes, I call her Annie because that is what is on her headstone, so that is what she wanted to be called at the end of her life.

In the process of looking for Thomas, I connected with a Cynthia Halligan.  Cousins!!  We both are descendants of Thomas Halligan.  She was doing some digging and found the 1900 Census with William and Hannah Warren, and three Sammon children.  Woohoo!!  

1900 United States Federal Census - Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, line 99 - page 1

1900 United States Federal Census - Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, line 1 - page 2

So, there is Margaret, Mary (my 2nd great-grandmother), and Frances.  I can't find any more about Margaret, as she most likely got married and I have no idea what her married name was, but I think I found Frances.  There is a California Social Security Death Index entry for Frances Sammon, with the same birthdate, who died in San Francisco in 1987.  There is no entry for him on Find-A-Grave, so I am not able to verify that as of yet.

California Social Security Death Index for Frances Sammon

Then on down through Annie. . .

Annie Marie Sammon Ramey Caman

Marriage Certificate for Clarence Chapman Caman and Annie Sammon

On the back of my great-grandparents marriage certificate, it says that, for both of them, this is their second marriage.  I know very little about Clarence Chapman's first marriage, but this week I was able to find a lot more about Annie's first marriage.  It was to a man named Frederick "Fred" Ramey.  They were married in 1908 in Omaha, Nebraska, and had a son, also named Frederick Ramey.  (I was able to find a lot of information about Fred's parents and grandparents as well.) 

1910 United States Federal Census - Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, line 13

On the 1930 Census, it lists Clarence and Marie A. Caman, with their son Donald (my grandfather) and step-son, Frederick Ramey.  

1930 United States Federal Census - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, line 28

I am not sure why Fred Ramey and Annie were in Colorado, but they weren't there very long.  The April 1910 Census puts them in Omaha, then Frederick was born in Colorado on 21 December 1910.  Fred died in Denver, Colorado in 7 June 1915 and is buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska.  Annie remarries Clarence Caman in 1917.  Frederick married Ruth Sharp and died in Los Angeles on 26 May 1986.

California Social Security Death Index for Frederick Warren Ramey

Direct line ancestry: Anna Teressa Halligan --> Annie Marie Sammon --> Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Teressa Marshall Nehring

Thomas Halligan and his family

This has been a week of amazingness!!  I have broken through so many road blocks this last two weeks, it is so exciting!

A while back I mentioned my difficulty in finding any information on Thomas Halligan.  This has been a road block for as long as I can remember.  I have been able to find oodles of information, thanks to the fantastic genealogical community out there!

It started three weeks ago when a Find-A-Grave volunteer took the headstone photos I had requested of Ann, Patrick and Mary Halligan.  I was guessing that they could have been Thomas' children.  The funny thing was, I didn't remember having requested that the photos be taken.  That one little forgotten request was the crack in the flood gates!

The Halligan marker at the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa

Ann Halligan's marker in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa.

Ann Halligan's marker in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa.  It says: Ann, wife of T. Halligan, died July 17, 18965, aged 68 years

Patrick Halligan's headstone in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa.

Mary Halligan, Patrick's wife's headstone in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa.

I was guessing that Patrick, Ann and Mary could have been Thomas' children.

When I made the request I added a note that if there was a Thomas Halligan buried there as well, could they please take a photo of his headstone too.  The volunteer told me that there was no headstone for Thomas in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Nichols, Muscatine, Iowa, but that she was familiar with the local cemeteries, and there was a Thomas Halligan buried in the St. Vincent's Cemetery in Riverside, Washington, Iowa.  

Thomas Halligan's headstone in the St. Vincent's Cemetery in Riverside, Washington, Iowa.  Transcription: Thomas Halligan, Died Aug. 22, 1874, Aged 50 years.  John, died June 15, 1863, Aged 8 years.  Julia E., died Nov. 18, 1865, Aged 1 yr. 9 mos.  May their souls rest in peace. Amen.

This Thomas Halligan died in 1874, at the age of 50, meaning he would have been born in 1824.  There are two children buried with Thomas, John and Julia.

I Googled the St. Vincent Cemetery and called to speak to the Sexton there.  He said that when they acquired the cemetery, there were no additional records, and, the first source of my frustration, Iowa did not start keeping records until 1880, six years until after Thomas Halligan died.  Iowa became a state in 1846, but didn't keep records until 1880?!  Bad Iowa!!

So, no death record, nothing.  So, I called the Riverside newspaper to see if there was an obituary.  (Hooray for unlimited calling plans!!)  The Riverside newspaper was not around then, but they said there was a Washington County newspaper and I should contact the Washington County Library's genealogical department to see if they had obituaries.  Since the department is staffed by volunteers, it took a few days for them to get back to me.

In the mean time, I did some digging.  I went back to the 1870 Census that lists Thomas Halligan with his wife, Lancia, and five children, Thomas, Patrick, Ann, Mary and Margaritta.  

1870 United States Federal Census for Union Township, Louisa, Iowa, line 6.

Thomas was born in Ireland, Patrick in Great Britain, and Ann in Iowa.  To me this tracks their immigration.  Patrick was born in 1850, which means that they would have immigrated to America somewhere between July 1850 and roughly, 1852-1854.  I have checked many immigration records and haven't found them yet.  Frustration #2.

The Iowa State Census for 1925 lists Patrick Halligan, born about 1850, from Ireland with father, Thomas Halligan, and mother, Annie Ratchford.

Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925 - Census date - 1 Jan 1925

The Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 lists Patrick Halligan, born 4 July 1850 in England, with father, Thomas Halligan, and mother, Anna Caslello. (?)

Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947

Thomas' birth year on the 1870 Census is 1842, and I am beginning to think that the census taker reversed the numbers of his birth year, and perhaps when Ann C. said Ann-C the census taker heard Lancia.  The more I look at census documents, the more I see human error.

There is also a 1860 census with Thomas Halligan, his wife Ann C., and children Patrick, Ann and Mary.  The ages and birth places match. 

1860 United States Federal Census - Union Township, Louisa, Iowa, line 19

In the meantime the Washington County Historical Society volunteer called me back.  There were no obituaries ……. frustration #3.  She said that if someone's horse died, it would make the front page, but when a person died, not so much.  She had the cemetery record for Thomas Halligan, which also mention the John and Julia, although the records are inconsistent, one says he died in 1874 and one says 1871.  The headstone says 1874.  She also referenced the 1860 and 1870 Census documents.  She also had the marriage record for Patrick Halligan and his wife, Mary.  Basically, not much more.

I called the Washington County Recorders office, to see if there were any records for any of the Halligan children.  They don't give information over the phone, and you have to be a direct relative to receive any of the documents.  They referred me to the Washington County Historical Society.  Been there.  They said I could pay someone to come to see if there was anything there to ask for, but I am not at that point yet.  Frustration #4.

There is also the 1880 Census where Ann Halligan is listed with her youngest daughter, Maggie (Margaritta).  A few lines down is Patrick and his family.

1880 United States Federal Census - Fremont Township, Johnson, Iowa, line 36

So, based on the census documents and Patrick's death record, I am convinced that this is my 3rd great-grandfather, Thomas Halligan, and his daughter, Ann, is my 2nd great-grandmother, Anna Teressa Halligan.

So, this would be my understanding of this family.  Thomas Halligan and Ann C. Ratchford were married in Ireland, somewhere around 1846ish.  They had a son, Thomas, born around 1848-50.  They immigrated to America, and Patrick was born along the way while they were in England.  For some reason Thomas didn't come with them, as he doesn't appear on the 1860 Census.  My grandfather, Don Caman, said that they came to America with the Sammon family.  "The Halligan family and the Sammons had come from Ireland, they were in the famine and it was to either leave Ireland or starve to death.  So, that's why they left Ireland.  The Halligans and Sammons eventually settled in Iowa and my great-great grandmother met my great-great grandfather in Iowa."

They arrived in America, traveling through Illinois, where John was born, and settling in Iowa, where Ann(a), Mary, Margaritta and Julia were born.  John appears on the 1860 Census, and then died in 1863, and is buried with Thomas.  Julia never appears on a census, as she was born in February 1864 and died in November 1865.  Some time before 1870, Thomas arrived to join the family.

In the St. Mary's Cemetery, the headstones were Patrick and his wife, Mary Morgan Halligan, and Thomas' wife, Ann.  Her headstone says, wife of T. Halligan.

After so many years of road blocks, it is wonderful to have a break through!!  I still have to find the immigration records, and I don't have the International subscription to Ancestry, so I have to find Irish records another way, but still a break through!!

Don Caman continued by saying: "My cousins are named Warren and my uncle was Warren, but really they should have used the name of Sammon, because I show no record that they children's names were changed or that they were adopted by WIlliam Warren, who was their step-father.  But, in those days, when the Census man came around, if you wanted to change your name, you could, because originally, my mother's name was Mary.  And for some reason she liked Amy Marie, so she changed it to Amy Marie."

My next post will be on the process of finding Anna's family and Mary/Amy Marie's family!  The excitement continues!!

Direct line ancestry: Thomas Halligan --> Anna Teressa Halligan --> Annie Marie Sammon --> Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Teressa Marshall Nehring

Thomas Halligan

I don't have as much information on my dad's side of the family as I do on my mom's side. In fact, some things are still very much a frustrating mystery. Take the origins of Thomas Halligan.

Thomas Halligan emigrated to America from Ireland around 1848. There are a couple of records that match the time frame, but since we have no concrete information about his birth or his parents, it's kind of a toss-up as to which could be him. The dates on the passenger lists would put Thomas born around 1820.

The first is from the New York Passenger and Immigration Lists for the Ship Rappahanock. It's point of departure was Liverpool, and his place of origin in listed as Ireland. It arrived in New York on 1 May 1848.

Thomas Halligan, 4th name from the bottom, is listed as age 28 and a Laborer.

The second is from the New York Port Arrival Records. He sailed on the ship Izaac Wright. It sailed from Liverpool and arrived in New York on 26 Feb 1849.

Thomas Halligan, number 329, was listed as age 27 and a Laborer. Is is also possible that the Richard Halligan, number 326, age 25, may be Thomas' brother.

The 1850 Censes for Flatbush, Kings County, New York lists a Richard and Thomas Halligan (lines 40 and 41), ages 29 and 24, both Laborers, both from Ireland. Could be the same?


According to my Gpa, Don Caman, "The Halligan family and the Sammons had come from Ireland, they were in the famine and it was to either leave Ireland or starve to death. So, that's why they left Ireland. On her [his mother's] side they were all Irish. The Halligans and Sammons eventually settled in Iowa and my great-great-grandmother met my great-great grandfather in Iowa. My grandparents met in Iowa, they were born in Iowa."

Thomas Halligan was the father of Anna Teressa Halligan, who was the mother of Annie Marie Sammon, who was Donald Caman's mother. On the 1930 Census Anna Halligan Warren (2nd marriage) lists that both her parents were born in Ireland.


Annie Marie Sammon Caman


Annie and Don Caman, circa 1920

There is also the 1870 Census that lists Ann Halligan, 13, which matches her birth date of 25 December 1857. On this Census, her parents are listed as Thomas Halligan, 28 and Lancia Halligan, 40. The dates are weird, but it is the closest I have been able to find to link an Anna Halligan to a Thomas Halligan. It would put Thomas Halligan's birthdate in 1842, which is way off the time line for the passenger lists.


So, still a frustrating mystery.

Direct line ancestry: Thomas Halligan --> Anna Teressa Halligan --> Annie Marie Sammon --> Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Teressa Marshall Nehring