George H. Hastings
Retyped from Beers' "History of Greene County", by Sylvia Hasenkopf
George H. Hastings was born in the city of New York, March 23rd, 1848. His father, Henry S. Hastings, was a native of Vermont, and from his 18th year to the time of his death in 1859, was an officer in the United States navy. His mother, Julia A. Delancy, was born in Westchester County and was a descendant of the Huguenot race. At the age of five, Mr. Hastings, in company with his parents, made a trip to Europe, being abroad nearly one year. At the age of 10 he accompanied his parents to New Orleans where he resided two years. While in this city his father was stricken with the yellow fever and died. At the outbreak of the war young Hastings emigrated to the Catskills and among these noble hills has resided ever since, 13 years of which he has passed in Lexington.
In 1868 he was married to Miss Rocelia Van Valkenburgh of Lexington, and has three daughters: Maude, Bertha, and Grace.
Mr. Hastings is well-known throughout the county as a newspaper correspondent under the non-de-plume of Harry Howe.