Letter of Introduction
HCC Family Trust – Hancock Cook and Calvert
Welcome and thanks to each of you for coming to learn about the Family Trust. First, I want you to know that I fully support any dissemination of what you learn today to any other Family members.
My primary purpose in establishing this Trust, is protection of any records, photographs, artifacts, heirlooms or any items of interest that can help each of us preserve our family history to pass on to our children and the new generations. A few items have considerable monetary value, but there are many items that while lacking market value are invaluable in preserving our Family Heritage and history!
The three family names represent 3 of my Grandparents, and I made promises to members of earlier generations that I would provide my best efforts to protect and preserve their family history. That brings to mind one of my Grandmother’ s wise statements: “You must know where you came from, to fully understand where you are, and to decide where you are going”.
In order for you to understand, this Trust is not just a wild idea of a confused elder; one of my first and continuing advisor for this Trust, is Dr. Robert Schoberling, Curator of Special Collections at the Maryland State Archives. He told me early on that I was on the right track, as he said from his experience at private museums, before joining the MD Archives, he had witnessed the destruction of private donations, when management changed because they valued the space more than any perceived value of boxes of old papers.
The legal advice for the Trust was provided by Harrison Whetherill an Annapolis Attorney that I am told has done work for both Historic Annapolis and MD State Archives. The Trust can be registered as a 501(3) (c) Corporation if necessary should funds become available in the future. The Trust Agreement (copies of which are available here today) will provide details of the actual operation of the Trust, requirement that Trustees must be “Blood Relatives” of either Stephen Hancock, veteran of the Revolutionary War, and Builder of Hancock’s Resolution, or William Calvert, only son of Leonard Calvert, first Governor of Maryland, should be sufficiently inclusive, but also ensure concern by every Trustee, to be sure preservation of our Family History is first priority!
I have brought a few items today for display to show the extent of our concerns for preservation. The Brown Bess Musket that Stephen Hancock brought home from Yorktowne at the end of his service in the Revolutionary War (1781 to 1783) is a tangible artifact, that I have been told could be worth up to $5,000, is probably the most valuable in actual dollars. I purchased the Brown Bess from my Uncles Estate to be sure there was no question of ownership. The group of Copybooks that contain Aunt Mamie Hancock’s daily log from 1893 to 1920, lack dollar value but are invaluable as an insight into the daily operations of the family farm, planting, harvesting, weather, and local events. Samples of wooden tools made as needed by the self sufficient farmers that were our ancestors, and a spoke shave and marking gauge from my Grandfather George Washington Calvert’s tool box show the spectrum of items that could be of great interest to our descendents in the future.
There are only a few current seats open for the Board of Trustees. The term for eleded Trustees is 3 years with no restriction on number of terms. The two original Trustees; my Grandson, James O. Calvert, and Glenn Schmidt, are not subject to re-election and have the right to pass their seat to their children if willing. Only 1 seat can be filled by a non-blood relative, that seat could be filled by a qualified consultant whose background and qualifications could provide onsite help to the other Trustees. The 2 original Trustees and up to 7 elected Trustees hopefully will ensure protection and knowledge of the care and whereabouts of our Family history for many years to come!
Edwin T. Calvert
