Ken, to divert attention slightly, the New York Times issue of February 7, 1898 has a listing of about 70 names of Union Navy personnel who were were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for actions during the Civil War, and who either never ever collected the Medal or, in a very few cases, returned the medal for one reason or another. These medals were still held at the Navy Department in Washington in 1898, and family members were eligible to claim them, if proof could be given that they were indeed related to the veteran. An example of one that was returned to the Department, at his death, was that of Thomas English, signal quartermaster on the USS New Ironsides, awarded for his "highly meritorious conduct" during the engagements at Fort Fisher, in December, 1864 and January, 1865. The NYT states that his medal, notebook and letters were returned to the Department at his death. The article in the NYT states, in part: "About 100 of the medals in the Navy Department safe were awarded during and immediately after the war of the rebellion. Efforts have been made to find the persons for whom the medals were prepared, but without success. Many of them are doubtless dead. A few medals returned for dead men, presumably because they left no families or friends, suggest Jack's loneliness."
I assume that some of these medals still remain uncollected, and if descendants knew of this, they would be eligible to collect the medals.