Shelter Island History / Featured Acquisition: Homecoming of George Remington Havens II

The Havens family’s Shelter Island story began more than 300 years ago, when George Havens (1652–1706) of Rhode Island purchased 1,000 acres from the Sylvesters. Remarkably, their story continues to unfold today.

In the past month, the Shelter Island History Museum (SIHM) has received donations of archival material and artifacts related to the Havens family that shed even more light on this historic island lineage. One of our most recent acquisitions has particularly unexpected origins.

Several months ago, the Museum was contacted by Jess Milligan, an agent of New Perspective Asset Management in Ohio. Jess and her team had spent the last two years sorting through an immense collection of personal effects, correspondence and historical materials belonging to George Remington Havens II (1890-1977).

Born on Shelter Island, George R. Havens lived an adventurous adult life both abroad and across the country before ultimately settling in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Edith Louise Curtiss. He and Louise never had any children, and after their passing their estate was left without a consistent steward…that is, until Jess and New Perspective Asset Management uncovered their aging home and rescued a layered archive of personal and family history from being lost forever.

Faced with this overwhelming task, Jess could have easily overlooked or discarded the materials. Instead, she and her partner Maryam Critchet, took painstaking care to clean, study, and catalogue each item. Slowly, an extraordinary life story began to emerge—George’s childhood on Shelter Island, his service in World War I, his impressive academic career, his devoted marriage, and more.

A single receipt from July 15, 1970, proved pivotal. It documented George’s purchase of 25 copies of that week’s Shelter Island Reporter—a clear sign that he remained connected to his hometown even after decades away.

Like so many people, Jess and Maryam had never heard of Shelter Island. But suddenly, the words “Shelter Island” began to jump out at them in more and more items until an entire new side of George and Louise’s life materialized.

In her letter to the museum, Jess wrote:

“As we’ve cataloged and researched these materials, we’ve grown personally connected to the story of the Havens and Curtiss families. What began as a professional project has become something much more meaningful—an unexpected immersion into American religious, educational, and family history told through one remarkable lineage.…Personally, I would also be honored to visit the museum in person, not only to deliver the items if appropriate, but also to connect with the physical history I’ve become so immersed in from afar. It would bring a sense of closure to this long and unexpected journey.”

A few months later, Jess and Maryam packed their car with the materials they’d come to know so intimately and made the long journey to Shelter Island. Their arrival marked not only a homecoming for another branch of the Havens family legacy, but also a conclusion of their own spectacular quest. There is no amount of words that could fully portray the value of the work done by Jess, Maryam, and their team. We cannot overstate the gratitude we feel for the care they took to rescue, research, and preserve the history of a family not their own. Without them it is likely this invaluable collection would have been lost.

Dr. George Remington Havens’ II life story is equally as unexpected and interesting. He was born August 25th, 1890, in Shelter Island Heights, the second son of George Remington Havens I (1847-1925) and Elizabeth M. Jennings (1854-1934).

We are still in the early stages of research, but we believe that George R. I ran a general and grocery store at 15 Grand Avenue in the Heights—known then as G.R. Havens’ Store; today it’s the home of Isola Restaurant. Walter R. (1876-1950), their elder son, remained on Shelter Island to run the business until his death in 1950, making him the last of the Havens name to reside on the island (Duvall & Schladermundt 1952, 46).

George, however, chose a life of academia. Studying first at Amherst and later receiving his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, George’s passion for 18th-century French and Enlightenment-era studies took him around the world. As a Guggenheim Fellow in the 1930s, he traveled to Leningrad to do research in Voltaire’s private library. He was a celebrated professor at Ohio State University, where he taught for 42 years. Among his academic accolades were honorary doctorates from Ohio State and the University of Michigan. His works, including the highly respected The Age of Ideas: From Reaction to Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France, earned him the reputation of being “the scholar’s scholar.” (Spurlin 1978, 277). He dedicated that book to his wife Louise, calling her his “first and best of readers.”

One thing that is evident from this collection is the genuine bond between George and Louise. Their surviving correspondence reveals an affectionate and supportive marriage. Even when apart, they wrote to each other almost daily. In addition to their shared intellectual interests, religion was a central cornerstone of their relationship. Both were born and raised in Methodist households, and we have reason to believe they met due to their families’ shared connection with the Methodist movements in Shelter Island Heights.

Though cataloguing has only just begun, it is already clear that the Havens Collection will offer an abundance of insights into the Havens and Curtiss families, the history of religion on Shelter Island, and much more.

As more interesting stories come to light we will continue to share them with the community—so be sure to stay tuned! If you are interested in being a part of these historical discoveries, we are always looking for more archive volunteers! To inquire, please email: archivist@shelterislandhistorymuseum.org

Additional Resources referenced:

Spurlin, P. M. (1978). George Remington Havens (1890-1977). Eighteenth-Century Studies, 12(2), 277–279. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2738059

Duvall, R. G., & Schladermundt, J. L. (1952). The History of Shelter Island, From Its Settlement in 1652 to the Present Time, with a supplement, 1932-1952.