His parents were Emily Almira Boileau and Joel Henry Shamel.
[4] In 1915, he took an examination to apply for a civil service position, receiving his assignment at the end of 1916.
[3] On 3 September 1937, Shamel was promoted to senior scientific aide in the National Museum's division of mammals.
[5] Shamel retired from the National Museum in 1947 due to poor health.
In his later life, he wrote a genealogical history of the Gabriel family, published in 1960.