Help with something in a Mason photo

[Hndrx]

Like most folks, I've got a number of Masonic ancestors. I've got a recently discovered photo of one of mine with an interesting medal in the photo. I know he was a Mason because of his tombstone and his obituary. I've wondering if the medal is Masonic.

He was born in 1804 and died in 1888.

This a snippet of the photo:

 

[cacarter]

Nice picture Brother. From my first look at it, and upon further research it appears to be a Medal of Honor circa the Civil War.

Check Wikipedia for Civil War recipients <--That's a hyperlink.

 

[Hndrx]

It does look like a GAR medal, however, he would have been in his late 50's at the start of the war. Too old for service most likely. Also, he lived in Arkansas which would have made him unlikely to have joined the Union army. (His sons served in the Confederate army.)

 

[Frater Cliff Porter]

That upside star has been associated with the Medal of Honor for a long time. I would check archives for Arkansas civil service or the like.

Except for some OES star regalia, it is unlikely that you would see such a medal in Masonry I would think for fear of disrespecting the long tradition. I have seen a ton of antique Masonic medals with the star right side up.

 

[Bro. Stewart P.M.]

I am going to concur regarding the Medal of Honor reference.

One thing to note, just because his sons served the CSA does not mean that he did. It was not uncommon for a household to be divided at that time.

Here is another listing to check: http://www.amtour.net/downloadable/ConfederateMedalWinners.pdf

It is important to note that although approved by the Confederate Congress and President Davis, no physical MoH awards were ever presented to Confederate soldiers due to the economic situation of the south during and after the War.

Therefore, this may have been a Federal MoH medal from a military campaign prior to the War of Northern Aggression (due to his age during 1861-1863). If I am not mistaken he "could" have participated in the Mexican-American Wars of 1846-1848 or assisted the Texans during their war with Mexico 1835-1836. Of course without confirmation, these are of course assumptions. You should be able to look up this person's service record through the U.S. Park Service "Soldiers & Sailors System" if you have most of his information.