Culver Military Academy Walter Melvin Hand  

He owned the 1926 catalog which was hard backed - and and is inscribed as: Major W. M. Hand; he is listed on page 39 of the Woodcraft Officers and instructors as "Quartermaster

Major Walter Melvin Hand Sr. or so the family states:

but his scrall was much like my father's... they made the 'r' bigger or higher and thin (looks like an l), next letter would be a "w' but looks similar to a v (again, their handwriting was very high and thin). I recognize it. Someone read it as Melvin, but it is in fact Merwin. He also signed my father's original birth certificate, which was passed down to me. Middle name is definitely Merwin (we always laughed about it with my dad, asking him where they made the name up) We had never ever heard of that name before...."I was named after my Dad, first born, that's what they did back then")

but his name is found as either W. M. , Walter M. or Walter Melvin in records and was born 5 Feb 1874 Marshall county, Indiana and died July 14, 1947 Argos, Marshall, Indiana he was the son of William E. and Lucy (Brown) Hand. He his father was a brother to Emily Jane "Jeanne" Hand who married Henry Harrison Culver.

Besides the census records the first offical record with his full name - and his signature on it is his draft registration for World War I.

1923 Dec 5 - Merwyn Hand, son of Major and Mrs. W.M. Hand, was given one of the highest honors that can come to an Academy athlete at the annual Thanksgiving Ball.

His name is given as Walter Melvin Hand on his death certiciate; and the informant was his wife.

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