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Ref Thread: Mexican Border Service Campaign Medal


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This is a small Border service lot to P. Ingebretsen.

A native of Norway, he was a physician in the Utah NG and served on the Mexican border with the

Medical Corps, UT Field Hospital. Later he was a Captain in WWI and moved to California an served in the Californian NG,

251 Coast Arty (H D), Med Dept Det - San Diego.

 

The lot includes his Border service medal #32844, a mini medal, and a coin for service on the Mexican border.

 

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Other side of the "coin":

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A picture of Mr. Ingebretsen

 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Here's my mexican border service medal. I picked it up out of a box of junk that an antique dealer, who had just purchased the contents of an estate, hadn't really had the time to sort though yet. I was looking over their shoulder and asked how much they wanted for it. Anyhow, I've had it for awhile now and wanted some opinions. Anyone else seen a Mexican Border medal with a split brooch? There's a Spanish war service medal on pg 272 of "call of duty" showing a split brooch...

 

Anyhow, this medal is also named. I was curious if someone could cross reference the medal number list and make sure its listed as it should be.

 

There was a lot of verdigris on the back of this medal when I bought it- but thankfully the junk came off to reveal a pretty nice medal after using some mild soap and water and an old toothbrush over a long session of scrubbing (as recommended by the Smithonian Institution's "How to preserve everything" book). The sort of bright areas on the back are from that cleaning... There was no way I could leave that stuff on for fear of serious pitting later on.

 

 

Josh

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Nice medal! Unfortunately, the MBSM issue rolls only record numbers up through #34012. However, the engraving looks good, so there's no reason to believe it wasn't issued to Mitchell. Different manufacturers used different brooch types. During the 1930's, BB&B, August Frank, and F.H. Noble all produced numbered Army campaign medals with split brooches. Joseph Mayer, W&H, Samuel Eby, Consolidated Jewelers, Northern Stamping, and others used wrap brooches.

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There's a William K. Mitchell listed as a WWI vet on some online Vermont archives. I don't know if it's the same guy or not. I think the dealer I got it from was based out of CT, but yes, I did pick it up in Mass. It may have traveled a little over the years. It's too bad every state isnt like PA, where all of their mexican border vets are listed in online card files and include the medal number of that issued.

 

Josh

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Your MBS medal #37131 was made in the contract of 21 October 1931 given to Bailey, Banks, & Biddle. The known MBS number range for this contract spans #36701 to #37137. See "The Gleim Medal Letters", Section G3, Table B on page 142. So Wm. K. Mitchell could have applied for this medal no earlier than the first part of 1932. This data will help focus the time frame for your research on him.

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  • 3 months later...
hmm161-78/82

Hello, I just picked up a mexican border service medal and noticed that the serial number is upside down in relation to the front of the medal.

 

Did this happen at all?

 

I have never noticed this before on other medals. Usualy when I look at serial numbers the front of the medal is facing up.

 

Is there any variation in this orientation?

 

Thanks,

 

Rod

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FrankEaton01

Mexican Border Service Medals were made under contract by several different private companies. The size, spacing, and orientation of the numbers can vary depending on which manufacturer made the medal. Some of the MBSMs made by Joseph Mayer have upside down numbers.

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  • 9 months later...
Quote

Here's my mexican border service medal. I picked it up out of a box of junk that an antique dealer, who had just purchased the contents of an estate, hadn't really had the time to sort though yet. I was looking over their shoulder and asked how much they wanted for it. Anyhow, I've had it for awhile now and wanted some opinions. Anyone else seen a Mexican Border medal with a split brooch? There's a Spanish war service medal on pg 272 of "call of duty" showing a split brooch...

 

I think I've narrowed down to a couple of people who the recipient of this medal could be- thanks to Tom Nier for his help on the award date. I looked in the 1930 census knowning that veterans were annotated in this version. I found a William K. Mitchell living in Taunton MA who is listed as a WWI vet. He was born in 1893 (37 at time of census), putting him in the right age range. There was another William K. Mitchell listed in New London county, CT in the same census who was working in the Navy, but was not listed as a veteran.

 

However, I do have to assume this medal didnt travel too far because William K Mitchell was a common name at the time. It appears other W. K. Mitchell's are out there who also were WWI vets. There was one from one such man from Norfolk City VA as well. I might not ever know unless I can find an award card with the serial number on it.

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  • 10 months later...

Let me try and clear up the way Navy Mexican Service Medals were numbered.

 

The first contract for these medals was given to Bailey, Banks & Biddle (B.B.&B.) in 1918 and they produced 15,000 medals numbered 1 to 15000 all without a prefix (i.e. there was no "No." or "MNo." in front of the number).

 

The next contract for Navy Mexican Service Medals was awarded to Stafford in 1927 they provided the Navy with 500 medals numbered 15001 to 15500 again all without a prefix.

 

Between 1929 and 1932 the Navy turned to the United States Mint to produce more Navy Mexican Service Medals for them The U. S. Mint was given three different contracts during this period and they produced medals numbered MNo. 15501 to MNo. 16674.

 

Navy Mexican Service Medals produced after 1932 by the U. S. Mint are all unnumbered.

 

The late Al Gleim had an index of letters of transmittal for about 2% of Navy Mexican Service Medals numbers 1 to 10500.

 

The comment "The National Archives hold the records relating to the issue of the Mexican Service Medals numbers No. 1 - No. 12,529. Higher numbers are not traceable and neither are MNo medals." pertains to the Army Mexican Service Medal not the Navy Mexican Service Medal.

 

My information primarily comes from The Gleim Medal Letters 1971-1997, OMSA Medal Notes No. 5.

 

A medal roll for the Navy Mexican Service Medal does not exist. Unlike the Army, the Navy did not keep a medal serial number list of the medals it issued. So short of having a name and searching through a few records for a letter of transmittal to confirm the awarding of a Navy medal to a particular sailor there is no way I know of to research the recipient of a Navy Mexican Campaign medal.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

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  • 4 weeks later...

As part of a WWI and Mexican Border Service grouping the pictured Mexican Border Service Medal was recently sold on Ebay and a concern was raised by the buyer as to if the planchet on the medal was the correct issue as the serial number's last two digits were crooked. Can someone who is more familar with this medal than I look at the pictures and tell if this is a good planchet or a replacement? Thanks. Tom Schultz

 

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Garth Thompson

Looks fine to me. #24822 was issued to Otis R CLARK Bugler D/1st Inf NH NG (New Hampshire National Guard).

 

It is not unusual to have a number or two not centered, or stamped irregularly. These were hand stamped, therefore subject to human error.

 

Garth

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  • 1 month later...

I got a chance to pick this up for a song today and did. I always liked the early 20th century service medals. Ribbon is faded with full wrap brooch. Number on edge is 11852. Issued to Robert F. Frederick Pvt. Battery C - 6th Field Artillery - Camp Taylor, KY.

 

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  • 6 years later...
55rocker52

Hey Guys,

I am always looking for numbered medal reference books to buy to help ID medals I come across. Are there any out there for Mexican Border Service,WWI State awarded, etc.? I just found this Mexican Border Service medal today and its in very nice condition and is just stamped: 18632 Can anyone ID this medal?

 

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  • 1 month later...
WW2HistoryHunter

Mexican Border Service Medal #3958 - Blair M. Nankivell Sgt. D/16th FA, cp Dodge IA

 

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  • 1 year later...

Medal #17686, issued to William Martin Jones, Jr, of Rochester, NY.

 

When I began researching William M. Jones, Jr I quickly discovered that his story of service was a bit unusual. William Jones Jr was born on December 20, 1874 to parents William (senior) and Gertrude Jones. William was the middle of three children. His father became a lawyer after the Civil War, and both William and his younger brother followed in their father’s footsteps. The two brothers worked in their father’s law office after they graduated from law school and took over the business when he died in 1906.

 

William enlisted in the New York National Guard’s Third Infantry in 1913 at the age of 39. It’s intriguing to guess what caused William to enlist at this point in his life. He reenlisted in 1916 at the age of 42, and was promoted to the rank of corporal. Two months later the New York National Guard was called up for federal service on the Mexican Border. William’s National Guard unit moved to State Camp, near Peekskill, for three weeks of intensive training before deployment to Texas.

 

William Jones and the Third Infantry left for Texas on July 13, 1916 and arrived at the border on July 15. They were stationed at a tiny border village called Pharr, TX, in Hildalgo County. They cleared sagebrush and cacti and began construction of a military camp. They also established a firing range about 2 miles SE of Pharr where the citizen soldiers trained in small arms practice. In the first week of September the Third Tennessee Infantry arrived to relieve the Third NY Infantry. William Jones’ unit was among the first to leave TX and return home (Sept 1916).

 

William Jones returned to his law practice in Rochester, raised a family, and participated in various civic organizations and events in Rochester during his later life. He died on January 13, 1960 at the age of 85 and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester.

 

 

 

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Medal #30620, issued to Eston Eurel Melton, of Macon, GA.

 

Eston Eurel Melton was born on April 15, 1900, the son of Gustavus and Otes Melton. Eston’s parents had some education and made sure that Eston went to school and learned to read and write.

 

Eston had quit school and was working as a clerk in Macon when he enlisted in Company B, Second Georgia Infantry, Georgia National Guard, in February of 1915. He lied about his age and claimed to be 19 yrs old when he enlisted.

 

The Second Georgia Infantry was mustered into federal service on July 2, 1916 at Camp Harris on the northwest portion of Macon, so Eston didn’t have to travel far from his home to join up with his unit. He was promoted to corporal in August just before the unit moved by rail to the Texas border with Mexico. Melton appears to have had a discipline problem because he was busted to private in November 1916. He received a promotion to Private 1st Class in February 1917, then Bugler later the same month. Information about Georgia’s NG troops on the Mexican border is sparse, but it appears that Melton’s unit returned home in March or April, 1917.

 

In August the 42nd “Rainbow” Division was established to serve in France with the AEF. The 42nd Division was deliberately organized from National Guard units from all over the country, with an emphasis on units that had served on the Mexican border. As a result Companies B, C, and F of the Second Georgia Infantry were reorganized into the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, 84th Infantry Regiment, and assigned to the 42nd Division. They traveled to Camp Mills on Long Island, NY at the end of August. Eston Melton, now age 17, was with Company B again as they joined the 42nd Division. He was promoted to corporal once more on August 23, 1917 just as his unit left Macon, GA.

 

Melton served with the 151st Machine Gun Battalion of the 42nd Division through February 1918, when he transferred to the HQ Detachment of the 84th Regiment. At the time of his transfer he was busted back to private a second time. He returned home to the United States with the HQ detachment of the 84th Regiment in April, 1919. In addition to his Mexican border service, Eston E. Melton was credited with serving in these WW1 campaigns: Lorraine, Champagne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne.

 

Melton returned to Macon, GA after the war and served as a clerk and bookkeeper for various businesses. He relocated to Polk County, Florida in the 1930s where he became the manager of an Ice plant. Eston died in Florida on July 30, 1978, and is buried in Wildwood Cemetery in the city of Bartow, Polk County, Florida.

 

Photo below: This photo was taken of soldiers from Eston Melton's 2nd Georgia Infantry while they were stationed on the Mexican border.

 

 

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