THE HAVELOCK HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

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The majority of historical records collected by Edward Ellis were donated in June, 2011 to the J.Y. Joyner Library Special Collections at East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.  Included are hundreds of documents, maps, deeds, newspapers, oral histories, cemetery records, archaeological reports, correspondence, biographies, genealogies and historic photographs related to the Havelock, Cherry Point and New Bern areas of eastern Craven County that will be preserved and made available to students and researchers. ECU calculates the size of the collection to be seven cubic feet of material.

Highlights of the collection include material on Sir Henry Havelock, early settlers, the War Between the States, the railroad, the naval store, timber and moonshine industries, MCAS Cherry Point and the City of Havelock. Important material related to Cherry Point, including an original 1941 base property map and 97 early photographs of local homes and farmsteads, had previously been donated to ECU’s permanent collection forming the basis of the Edward B. Ellis, Jr. Papers. 

Also previously donated to ECU was a collection of about sixty rare books related to Major General Sir Henry Havelock, the city’s namesake.

Why ECU? Joyner Library at ECU was selected as the home of the Havelock Historical Collection because of the resources its Special Collections department offers in the preservation, care and cataloguing of historical material, and the ease of its availability to both history professionals, students and the interested public. The Joyner Library is about an hour from Havelock and is open daily.

Additional collections, donations and resources

Other Ellis material has been donated to the Havelock Public Library (rare books, biographies of Sir Henry Havelock, Civil War-era newspapers, Trader’s Store journals); Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Garden (Gertrude Carraway’s Bible and the Edward Ellis Atlantic and East Carolina Railroad Research Collection); the Kellenberger Room of the New Bern-Craven County Library (maps, documents, books & photographs); the Lenoir Community College Heritage Center (early Jones County newspapers); the Town of Garner, N.C. (newspapers); MCAS Cherry Point; the Eastern Carolina Aviation Heritage Foundation and others.

What else we could protect

Many of the documents, artifacts and photographs assembled over many years by Mr. Ellis were generously contributed by local individuals and families. Contributions related to the Havelock area and eastern Craven County are still welcome and material will continue to be considered for inclusion in the collection. Of particular interest are pre-Cherry Point family histories and genealogies, portraits, journals, diaries, deeds, brochures, publications, maps and business records.  Also sought are early photos, especially of people, events, economic activity and local buildings, such as churches, schools and stores.  Provisions for the copying of photographs and documents can be made at no expense to the donor.

Anyone wishing to consider a contribution of historical material to be permanently preserved in the Havelock Historical Collection is urged to email Mr. Ellis at the Contact link above.

J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.