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

Clarence Chapman Caman

I know very little about my great-grandfather Clarence Chapman Caman, other than what I have been able to pick up here and there. There is a great deal of documentation about his father and grandfather, and I was able to talk to my Gpa, his son, but as far as anything about Clarence, it seems that not a lot was recorded.



Clarence Chapman Caman - no dates on either photo


Clarence Chapman Caman - 1974

Clarence Chapman Caman was born on 26 November 1892 in Welllington, Sumner, Kansas to William and Nellie Caman. I have no information about him as a youth, although his parents were very musical and held prominent positions in the community. Clarence had an older sister, Hazel, and two siblings that passed away in infancy. In the 1909 City Directory for Beatrice, Nebraska, Clarence is listed as a student, and in the 1911-1912 City Directory, he is listed as a chaffeur. On the 1910 Census his occupation is chaffeur for an auto factory.



Clarence Caman - circa 1911

Clarence was a Sergeant in the US Army in World War I. According to my Gpa Caman, he was in, or associated with, the Foreign Legion.


Clarence Caman (right) and his friends in the Foreign Legion

On the Marriage Certificate for Clarence and his wife Annie, it notes that this is the groom's second marriage. Until recently I didn't have any idea who his first wife was. Today I came across the marriage record for Clarence and Bethel Hawkins on 16 Feb 1916, in Mason City, Cerro Gordo, Iowa. I have not found any records as to what happened to their marriage, if she died or if they were divorced, but on 26 November 1917, a year and a half later, Clarence married Annie Sammon, in Des Moines, Polk, Iowa.



Clarence and Annie had a son, Donald in 1920. At the time they were still living in Beatrice, Gage, Nebraska, where Clarence's parents lived.


Donald, Annie and Clarence Caman - circa 1920-21


Four Generations representing the Tribe of Caman - Clarence Chapman Caman, Donald William Caman, Augustus William Caman, William Harrison Caman - July 1920 - Beatrice, Nebraska

In an interview with my Gpa Don Caman in 1998, he stated, "Clarence Caman came to Ocean Park, California to get a job. Once he had found one he sent for his wife and son. They came to California in 1922 when Don was 2 years old. They lived in Hollywood Hills for a while and then moved to Glendale, California."

Clarence is listed in the Los Angeles City Directories from 1927 to 1938 (these are the only ones I have access to online) and his professions was listed alternately as a switchman SCTCo and electrician. Their home was at 4505 Fountain. (According to Google Maps, there is still a house at that address)


Clarence Chapman Caman - no date on photo

I have a vague recollection of meeting my great-grandfather, Clarence Chapman Caman, when I was about five years old. We have a photo of us with him in his apartment in Riverside, California. (This photo is significant to me, as it is the only photo ever taken of my whole family together while my parents were still married.)


Kathryn (Marshall) Berkowitz, Jeremy Marshall, Clarence Chapman Caman (age 82), Lora Marshall Nehring, Don (Caman) Marshall, Jordan Marshall - summer 1974 - Riverside, California

Clarence died on 22 December 1976, shortly after his 84th birthday. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills, next to his wife, Annie.


Clarence Chapman Caman - Interment Space: 3, Lot or Block: 3163, Section: Eternal Love

Direct line ancestry: Clarence Chapman Caman --> Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Marshall Nehring

William Harrison Caman

William Harrison Caman is an example of one of the quiet superstars of American life. He didn't do anything overly amazing, but he was instrumental in many people's lives. (No pun intended!)

William was born in Elmwood, Knox, Illinois in 1867, the son of Augustus and Charlotte Caman. Charlotte died when William was not quite three years.

William began his life with a love of music. Although there is no mention, as far as I have been able to find, of how early William began to learn to play instruments, at the age of 19 he was good enough to be hired in a band.

"I had played with my hometown band at La Cygne, Kansas, and one day in the spring of 1887 I was in Kansas City when the circus came to town. I took in the show,for a circus was always a thrill to me, and got a seat as near the band as possible.

"When it came time for the band to lead the procession around the ring, I heard the leader inquiring what had become of the cornetist. One of the bandsmen said the cornetist would be there soon but he failed to show up, and the director decided to play without him.

"I felt I could hold down such a job, so I volunteered my services to the director. He evidently decided that any kind of a trumpet player was better than none and accepted my offer. He asked me to remain after the show. I did, and soon found myself in a job at the sum of $10 a week with food and shelter furnished.

"The circus was S. H. Barrett's New United Railroad shows. The fact it traveled by rail put it ahead of the lesser shows which moved from town to town on wagon roads." (Day World-Herald, Omaha, Neb., December 22, 1940)

Following his summer with the circus, William settled in southern Kansas and was band leader in several towns there, including his own, "The Caman Band".

William got his start in his career accidentally. In an interview with Donald William Caman (William's grandson) on 18 October 1998, Don described what happened.

"When William was sitting watching trains, that was what you did before radio and television, the train pulled into town and two men got off. They told William that they were expecting a shipment of telephone equipment, like switchboards and telephones, and they asked him if he would watch for it. Later when it arrived, William called the men to let them know that it had gotten there. They told him to put it together and start up the telephone business there. So, that is how William started working for the Lincoln Nebraska Telephone Company. He ended up being their district manager." The Lincoln Telephone Company was a forerunner in the spread of telephone service, and increasingly improved quality of service, throughout the midwest. William retired in 1933.


William Harrison Caman - 1924

William and Nellie Michael were married in 1889 and they had two children, Hazel and Clarence. William continued to serve as director of many bands, including the Beatrice Community Band and the Shrine Band. He was a member of the Shriners and a Mason.


William Harrison Caman in his Shrine Band Leader Uniform - circa 1940

I recently contacted the Gage County Historical Society, who sent me several copies of newspaper articles and clippings from their archives about the Caman family, including a photo of the house in which the Caman family resided in at 425 North Fourth Street, Beatrice, Nebraska.



William died in 1944 and is buried with his wife and daughter in the Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice, Nebraska. The caretaker at the cemetery was very kind to go out and take photos of the headstones and send them to me. I am always very grateful for the willingness of people every where to go out of their way to help with family history research!


The Caman family plot in the Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice, Nebraska


William Harrisno Caman's headstone at the Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice, Nebraska


Four generations of Camans: taken in Beatruce, Nebraska in 1920

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