Yeah it’s the eternal issue for all of us, research. My own experience has tended to go like this: find a written source…find a second written source that contradicts…find a third written source that confuses…find a fourth written source that posits a completely different scenario…finish that half-bottle of bourbon…find a fifth written source that endorses the first written source.
Ultimately I put my faith in period photos provided I’m confident they haven’t been doctored. If by pure coincidence the majority of written sources confirm what I’m seeing with my own eyes, that’s when I reach for the glue rather than a shotgun.