JOHN HENRY CARMANY JR. was born on August 21, 1884 in Philadelphia to John H. Carmany and his wife the former Carrie Knettle. He was the second of four children born to the couple, coming after sister Bertha and before brothers Walter and Albert. The family lived in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, where the elder Carmany worked in his father Cyrus P. Carmany's dye works. Sadly, Walter Ralph Carmany, born on March 10, 1887, died on April 4, 1888. Brother Albert, was born on August 9, 1888 died before he reached his first birthday, and worse yet, Carrie Knettle passed on February 2, 1889. The 1886 Philadelphia City Directory shows the John H. Carmany living on Gorgas Lane near the Wissahickon Creek, where his father and James Boone were partners in a dye works known as Carmany & Boone. In 1887 Cyrus Carmany acquired the buildings and land formerly occupied by Wood & Haslam, manufacturers of table cloths, and established a dye works in Camden, New Jersey at 757-759 Cherry Street, with land that extended to Spruce Street and to South 8th Street that traded as Wissahickon Dye Works. The dye house was destroyed by fire on December 7, 1887. Cyrus Carmany was insured and soon rebuilt the facility.

John H. Carmany Sr. moved to Camden to oversee the new operation. The family never resided more than a few doors from his business. The 1888-1889 City Directory shows them living at 774 Cherry Street. When the next Directory was compiled in 1890, they had moved to 778 Cherry Street where they resided into 1892.

After moving to Camden John H. Carmany Sr. married Carolina Widmaier. By 1893 they had moved to 917 Spruce Street. Carolina bore at least three children. A child was born in June of 1892 who lived for one day. A son, Harry Jacob Carmany was born July 14, 1893 who lived to adulthood. Another son was born on June 6, 1894 who did not live long. A third son, Raymond W. Carmany was born in June of 1895 and died on August 20, 1895. Worse yet, Carolina Carmany died in June 9, 1895, most likely from complications arising from the birth of her son, at the age of 27.

On June 20, 1897 John H. Carmany Sr. wed a third time. His new wife, the former Sallie A. Willard, gave him three daughters, all, sadly died quite young. Daughter Adaline was born late in 1899, she died in April of 1900. Daughter Elizabeth died on November 20, 1903 and a third daughter, Kathryn, died November 4, 1904 at the age of three years and eight months. John H. Carmany Sr. and family stayed at 917 Spruce Street as late as 1903 before moving to at 918 Spruce Street in Camden with children Bertha, John H. Jr., Harry, and Kathryn. City Directories from 1905 through 1909 show the family at 918 South 8th Street. Suffering from failing kidneys, in his time referred to as Bright's Disease, John H. Carmany Sr. moved to 772 Pine Street late in 1909 or early in 1910. He died on December 16, 1910 and was buried at Harleigh Cemetery. His family remained at 772 Pine into 1912. Sallie Carmany died May 1, 1923.  Bertha Carmany married Howard Justice and was living in Oakly, New Jersey by 1910. Sons John H. Carmany Jr. and Harry Jacob Carmany lived out their days in and around Camden.

The April 18, 1910 Census shows John H. Carmany working as a machinist in a machine shop and living with his older sister Bertha, her husband and daughter Kate on Bettlewood Avenue in Oaklyn, New Jersey. Later that year he married the girl next door, Annie Marie Liner, daughter of John and Mary Liner. The couple moved to Camden, where John H. Carmany Jr. served as member of the Camden Fire Department from 1910 through 1916. He then returned to work as a machinist, very possibly to take advantage of the higher wages offered in Camden's foundries and shipyards during the World War I years. He followed the machinist's trade for the rest of his years.

John and Anna Carman appear in Camden's city directories at 1117 Haddon Avenue in 1911 and a 862 Haddon Avenue in 1912. Son John Liner Carmany was born in 1913. The 1914 City Directory has the family at 1143 Haddon Avenue. A daughter, Marie, was born in 1915. The 1916 Directory gives the family's address as 1245 Kaighn Avenue. The 1917 Directory has John Carmany and family at 1061 Haddon Avenue. From 1918 through 1923 the Carmany family is listed at 1108 Cresson Street.  Four more children were born by the end of 1923, Elizabeth, Edward, Joseph, and Anna. By the time the 1924 City Directory was compiled, John H. Carmany Jr. had moved to 539 Trenton Avenue. Son Joseph died in 1926, another daughter, Bertha, was born in May of that year.

John H. Carmany Jr. passed away on June 16, 1945. His widow, Anna Marie, remarried soon after and is listed in the 1947 City Directory at 539 Trenton Avenue with her second husband, John L. Tobin. She died in 1958. Son John L. Carmany lived in East Camden during the 1940s and 1950s before moving to Gloucester Township, New Jersey

John H. Carmany Jr.'s uncle Edmund S. Carmany came to Camden to work at the Wissahickon Dye Works in the 1890s, living at 836 Newton Avenue from 1895 through 1902. By the following year he had gone into the bar business and followed that line of work as late as 1926, first at 526 Kaighn Avenue, then from 1913 on at 460 Kaighn Avenue.