I don't blame her for playing it safe. About a week ago, I spotted an article entitled Mystery Surrounds 1865 Medal of Honor in the Indianoplis Star. Unfortunately, the article (written by Virginia Hilbert) is already tucked into the archives and only available on a fee basis, but the gist of it was that a Civil War Medal of Honor had strayed from its family of origin, and the present owner, Marjorie Grismore, was seeking descendants of Joseph F. Carter from Maryland.
How could I resist? It took about half an hour, but I tracked down a great-granddaughter in Baltimore, and gave Ron Wilkins, the fellow doing the sleuthing on behalf of the current owner, her contact info. He called and she confirmed her relationship. You can read about it in this follow up article by Ms. Hilbert -- Medal of Honor could be back in family soon.
Not surprisingly, Ms. Grismore wants to be absolutely sure about the relationship, so I'm awaiting her call so I can provide the details she needs to feel reassured. What's especially nice, though, is that the descendant was aware of the medal and had been looking for it for 20 years. She shouldn't have much longer to wait!