Filed under Medals: A Method Guide
First checks before you go further
A medal index card is a summary card that points to the roll entries for one person, listing the medals and the roll references. It is a finding aid, so follow its references to the full roll entries rather than stopping at the card.
A variant spelling is not a different person, and an identical spelling is not the same person. Both mistakes come from trusting spelling alone. Do not trust a result because it is the only result. A single result with one matching filter is a lead that needs a second record, not a conclusion. A name spelled one way in one record and another way in the next is the same research problem wearing two spellings. Collect the variants before you search.
How to read this kind of entry
The order of sheets in a file is not always the order of events. Rebuild the date order yourself, and do not trust filing order to do it for you. A form filled in at enlistment and a form filled in at discharge describe the same person from opposite ends of a career, and they will disagree on details. What looks like a sudden posting, promotion or move often has its explanation in a correction, a marginal note, or an entry on the next sheet.
Dead ends to expect here
If a family paper and an official record cannot both be right, keep both, date both, and look for a third record. A third record breaks ties that argument cannot. A gap that appears in every record for the same dates probably reflects how records were kept, not a personal mystery. Check the coverage before inventing an explanation. A record destroyed, a record never created, and a record held elsewhere look identical from a search screen. The catalogue description is what tells them apart.
A step by step way through
If a step fails three times with three different filters, stop and change the record type. Persistence with one record type past three failures is rarely rewarded. Keep the timeline open beside you as you work, and add to it as you go, rather than reconstructing it at the end from memory.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find the roll entry first, and note its reference, the medal, and any clasps shown. |
| 2 | Check name, number, rank and unit on the roll against the personal file. |
| 3 | Use the index card, where one survives, as a finding aid to the roll, not as a replacement for it. |
| 4 | Test any family medal story against the roll before adding it to the timeline. |
What to open after this one
If this guide answered the question you brought to it, the next guide should start from a new question, not from the momentum of this one. When two next steps present themselves, take the one that can disprove something, not the one that can only confirm. Disproof strengthens a timeline faster.
The next record in the chain is usually the one for the same dates in a different record set, not the next date in the same record set. A single well-checked fact is worth a page of plausible narrative. Prefer the fact, and let the narrative wait for more facts.
Primary sources for this guide
Claims in this guide are kept general and point to official holders, so you can check the current position with the holder itself. This guide is general educational information only. It is not personal professional advice, it does not offer a record lookup service, and it does not determine any individual's service.