Ada "Margaret" TAMMEN ¹

  General Notes:

MARCIA JOHNSON provided some information on Ada and her family.

NAME: Ada Margaret was listed in census records as Ada "Margaret" Tammen but in the birth records of her 2 children as Ada Conklin. It appears that Ada Margaret married, or lived with, David Tammen, her assumed half-brother. Ada Margaret was listed as Margaret Dillion while living in Des Moines, IA, so could she have previously married a Dillion? Her son John Tammen was listed as John Dillon in the 1920 IA Census, so perhaps David and Ada Margaret never married and tried to cover up that they had a son together.

1900 NE CENSUS, York Co, Lockridge Twp, Mother's Jewel's Home:
"Aha Tamon", inmate, 10, b. 1890 in NE.
(Listed nearby on census were "Ona Tamon", Elizabeth "Tamon" and David "Tamnen".

MOTHER'S JEWELS ORPHANAGE, York Co, NE: Ada, "after many trials and failures, her incorrigible disposition" was sent to a home in Omaha on Sept. 1, 1905.

FAMILY HISTORY FROM PAT ZUPAN: Ada was placed in an orphanage in York, York Co, NE but ran away; last known address was Holdredge, Phelps Co, NE.

1910 NE CENSUS, Douglas Co, Omaha city, House of the Good Shepard:
Margaret "Fammen", 20 single, inmate, seamstress.
(Note: Parents' birthplaces were not provided by mother superior for any of the inmates.)

1915 IA STATE CENSUS, Shelby Co, Panama town:
Dave J. Tammen, 38, married, RR section laborer, 8th grade education, b., Germany, parents b. Germany, no church affiliation, 37 yrs in US, Na, 2 yrs in IA;
Ada Tammen, 25, married, 2 yrs high school, b. NE, father b. Germany, mother b. KS, no church affiliation, 1 yr in IA;
John Tammen, 1, b. IA, father b. Germany, mother b. KS.

1920 IA CENSUS, Polk Co, Des Moines Twp:
David "Tammel", 43, div., to US in 1877, naturalized 1888, b. Germany, parents b. Germany, laborer for a contractor;
half-sister Margaret Dillon, 30, wd, b. NE, father b. Germany, mother b. Ireland;
nephew John Dillon, 5, b. IA, father b. IA, mother b. NE;
7 lodgers.

DES MOINES, IA CITY DIRECTORY:
1922 David J. Tammen rms 1210 High

1928 David "Tamal" r 517-8th

1930 David "Tamman" lab r 517-8th
Margt "Tanner" hlp Sandy's Coffee Shop r 517-8th

1932 John Dillon watchman Pres-O-Lite Co r 303 Racoon
David Tammen lab 4 1031-6th Ave
Thomas Tammen r 1031-6th Ave
Margt L. "Tanner" clk Unio Mut. Lt Co r 1088 W. 27th

1934 David Tammen r 244-2nd

1936 John Dillon driver Salvation Army r 244-2nd
David J. Tammen custodian trades Assembly Hall r721-3rd

1939 David Tammen carp r 2347- 338th

1940 John Dillon solr. Salvation Army r 224-2nd Ave
David J. Tammen (Margt) lab WPA r 620 E. 12th

1842 David J. Tammen (Margt) lab h 1128 Army Post Rd (Ft. DM)
(Note: Ft. DM is probably Fort Des Moines, a military training facility on the south edge of Des Moines.)

1930 CENSUS - no record of Ada/Margaret; her son, listed as J. D. Tammen, was living with David Tammen in Des Moines, IA.

1941 LETTER WRITTEN BY ADA (portion of letter):
"May talks about our mother but of know if she could of lived we girls would of been a lot better off no matter what she done in her life. and many a nite I cryed for her when we were in the Orphans home all alone." (transcribed as written)
(submitted by Lana Buford)

FIND A GRAVE:
Name: Ada Margaret Tammen
Birth Date: 1890
Birth Place: Nebraska, United States of America
Death Date: 25 Apr 1943
Death Place:New Jersey, United States of America
Cemetery: Holy Name Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States of America
Has Bio?: N

Ada married David John TAMMEN, son of Johann Harms "John" TAMMEN and Yte Davids "Etije" WIARDS. (David John TAMMEN was born on 13 Feb 1877 in Larrelt, Ostfriesland, Germany,⁴ died on 15 Jul 1946 in NJ ^{3 4} and was buried in Holy Name Cem, Jersey City, Hudson Co, NJ ³.)