In 1881, forming a partnership with a florist, F. R. Pierson of New York, he established a business raising Easter lily bulbs for export to the United States. Russell Hastings died at Petersham, Massachusetts, September 18, 1904. Mrs. Emily Hayes Platt Hastings died in 1922. The correspondence of Hastings and his wife appear in separate folders. Each is arranged chronologically.
Topics range from family matters, business, and Civil War recollections.
Photocopies of letters from William Henry Smith to Hastings are also included. Eleven handwritten notebooks and accompanying material comprise Hastings autobiography. Much of Hastings recollections focus on his Civil War service, including well-written accounts of the 23 rd O. V. I. s, formation, its officers, camp life, and involvement in the battles of Carnifix Ferry, Lynchburg, Kernstown, etc. An additional six notebooks and accompanying documentation represent the family genealogy compiled by Hastings. Hastings traced his ancestry to Thomas Hastings of Watertown, Massachusetts.