Anton and Carrie Samman --- Lebanese folks in Texas

[Traces]

One of the best things about Texas is how many different cultures have come here, carved out a niche, and thrived. Traces of Texas reader Ron Wood was nice enough to share this photo and had this to say about it: "Anton Samman and Carrie (Ogdee) Samman were both born in Syria (Lebanon) and were some of the first immigrants from that region in Texas. They immigrated to Texas with their families in the 1890's and were married around 1910 in San Antonio, raising their family in Corpus Christi and Taft, TX. Most of these families now refer to themselves as Lebanese, but when they immigrated, Lebanon was not yet a country. Their generation all referred to themselves as Syrians. Most of the families intermarried and they have retained a sense of that culture to this day. The Syrians are spread throughout Texas. Some of the family names are Samman, Ogdee, Aboud, Alkek, Hyak, Cattan, Mansour, Haddad, Jamail, Manziel."
 

I know several Jamails myself and to say that they have done well in Texas is to be guilty of tremendous understatement.
 

Thank you, Ron. I LOVE this photo!

[Stars at Night]

I never knew where the Jamail in Joe Jamail field came from but now I know.  Isn't it interesting how some cultures/groups of people seem to be very entrepreneurial somehow?