Martin Ray or Ray Martin Hammack??

Today I did some digging on the Hammack family, trying to find out just who great-granddaddy Hammack was married to and when. I've learned alot about the man today. Here are some of the artifacts I discovered: This is a copy of his US World War I Draft Registration Card (1917-1918). Unfortunately it is partially cut off but you can see he was married and living in Skyles, WV. He was employed as a laborer for the Davis Eakens Co. (I'm not sure what they did but I'll keep digging.) Interesting note, he was tall and had blue eyes. This card says his full name in Martin Ray Hammack unlike the one for World War II (1942), which says Ray Martin Hammack. (see below)He was married to Lulu when he filled out this card. He worked for Mountain Fuel Co. They lived in Brownton, WV where he still resided when died in May 1968. Below is a copy of his obituary that was in some old photos my dad gave me.I confirmed today that he was married twice.

This is him and Hazel in the photo above and I assume the little girl is my grandma, Sylvia. His first wife and the mother of both my grandma, Sylvia and Harry Hammack died young.

He married Lula or Lulu as it was written on one of the above draft registration cards. This is her with my Uncle Ray Watson.

Martin Ray & Lulu had two children, Van and James. Sylvia was the eldest born in 1916 and then Harry in 1918. I assume Hazel died shortly after that because Van was born in 1922 (and James in 1923) to Lulu and Martin Ray. So in that 4 year stretch Martin Ray or Ray Martin lost a wife, remarried and had another son.

This is the US Census report from 1930 for Summit, Ohio. Ray(37 years old & head of household), Lula (36), Sylvia (14), Harry (12), Van (7) and James (6) are listed in the household as well as Edgar Hoover (46). He is listed as the brother-in-law. So would Lulu's maiden name be Hoover? Also another column listed the "Age at first marriage," Ray's was 23 and Lula's was 27, which would mean around 1921 she and Ray were married. Also note that Edgar's age at first marriage was 28, so he must have been a widower in 1930.

My heritage search has made me start thinking more about the past and the extended family I only saw a couple of times a year.

I remember when Uncle Van died in 1984. Here is the card from the funeral I had saved. It seems I had only just gotten to know him and his family a few years before he passed. I had become close to his son Mike during my senior year of high school (1981)before he died of cancer.

Gone but never forgotten!

Question for the day: On the back of this picture was written: "1945 Mother Sylvia" The lady on the right is my grandma Sylvia so is "mother" Lulu?