M. W. Hanchett had a proposal for revisions to American coinage as well as a patent for thesostenuto. To learn what that is, read on.

Hanchett's American ancestors landed at Nantucket on May 30 in 1630. Milton Waldo Hanchettwas born in Suffield, Connecticut, on July 12, 1822. His parents were Dr. John Wilkes Hanchett(1774-1844) and Margaretta Granger Hanchett (1790-1880). At the age of four, his familymoved to Syracuse, New York, and settled there.

Milton's ancestry is complicated. Most people have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, sixteen great-great-grandparents, and thirty-two great-great-great grandparents.Milton had only twenty-eight great-great-great grandparents. John Hanchett (1649-1744) andEsther Pritchard (1647-1711) were his great-great-great grandparents three times.

His father's grandfather and mother's grandfather were brothers. Thus, his father and motherwere second cousins. Going back another generation, his mother had two great-grandparents whowere brother and sister. In addition, his mother had a great-grandfather and a great-greatgrandmother named Granger who were brother and sister.

Hanchett seldom used his first name. His name appears as M. Waldo Hanchett, Waldo Hanchettor M. W. Hanchett.

Hanchett claimed that he could recall the visit of Lafayette to Syracuse in 1824. History recordsthat Lafayette actually visited Syracuse on June 9, 1825.

He was in a pharmacy business with his father and brother in Troy, New York. He worked inNew York City during 1840 to 1845. Later he practiced dentistry with Dr. Amos Westcott.

On June 27, 1848, he was married to Martha Anna Huntington (1825-1890). They had two daughters and a son. The first daughter died at six months.

On August 15, 1848, Hanchett received a patent for a dentist chair with adjustable elevation,reclining back and footrest. He practiced dentistry with Dr. Preston in Hartford, Connecticut,during 1850 to 1855. He also had a business producing dentifrice.

Hanchett was a musician and composer. He was a member of the Syracuse Musical Union. Hewas the organist for the St. Paul's Episcopal Church for nine years. At times he was choirmasterand soloist. He composed a song, known for its first line,

From 1852 until retirement, he was a fire underwriter and agent for the Merchant's FireInsurance Co., of Hartford.

Hanchett originally belonged to the First Presbyterian Church. In 1855. Hanchett became amember of the newly forming Plymouth Congregational Church. The church was formed byabolitionists who withdrew from the First Presbyterian Church. He was superintendent of hischurch's sabbath school and president of the Young Peoples Association.

The New York State Banking Co. was founded in 1872 with Hanchett as a director and vicepresident.

On May 9, 1874, he filed a patent for an

He was a director of the Franklin Institute and two-time president of the Young Men's ChristianAssociation.

In the 1890's, Hanchett drew fifteen sketches of Syracuse as he remembered buildings from the1820's. His sketches have been displayed at the Onondaga Historical Association.

Under the name of M. W. Hanchett, he was the author of A New Series of Designs for the GoldSilver and Subsidiary Coins of the U. S. (1898). It is not a book, but rather a single piece of paperfolded in thirds.

The publication stated,

His proposed designs did not include human portraits, but were all variations of eagle on theobverse and stars on the reverse. On the gold coins, the eagle faced right; on silver coins to theleft. Hanchett explained this would be an aide for the blind,

One suggestion was for the spread of the eagle's wing to be proportional to the value. Heproposed that the motto, be placed on the coins. No patterns were made ofhis proposed coins.

In previous reports of the folder, it is found with a typewritten article by Raymond H.Williamson. This has the heading, This includes an extensive biography ofHanchett. The item is undated but must have preceded the death of Charles Foster in 1959.

Near the end is this parenthetical comment:

The folder was reproduced for The Numismatist issue of May 1981. Wayne Homren showed acopy of the Hanchett brochure at his Nummis Nova dinner on Tuesday May 21, 2024, andmentioned this in The E-Sylum issue of May 26, 2024. He loaned the brochure to the NewmanNumismatic Portal to be scanned. As part of that process, Len Augsburger added the name of M. W. Hanchett to the index for NNP.

I discovered the added name in the index and did research to expand the Hanchett biography fora listing in American Numismatic Biographies. I thought the story was also interesting enoughfor an article for the E-Sylum. If not for Tom Sampson, the article might have beenpublished a month earlier. I am adding Charles W. Foster to my list of potential future articles.

Hanchett was an invalid for several years and died at home in Syracuse, New York, on January28, 1904, He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery with his wife and parents.

He left an estate valued at more than $100,000 to his surviving son Dr. Henry Granger Hanchettwith an additional trust of $10,000 for his eight-year-old granddaughter Winifred.

How did the Mint respond to Hanchett's proposal? Roger Burdette provided a copy of a letterfrom Director of the Mint, George E. Roberts.

To read Hanchett's brochure and Ray Williamson's article on NNP, see:
A New Series of Design for the Gold, Silver and Subsidiary Coins(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/641427)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: MAY 26, 2024(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n21a20.html)