George Strong was born around 1816 in Milton, New York, to Sylvester Strong and Elizabeth Schelenger. His father was a veteran of the War of 1812. He moved to Union, Michigan, around 1836 and earned a living as a farmer. He married Emily Maxfield around 1840, and they had at least three children: Charles, born around 1841; Sylvester, born on October 7, 1843; and Albert, born around 1847. They moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, around 1850, and Strong opened a grocery store. By 1860, he was working as a speculator, and he owned $600 of real estate. He joined the city’s police force in 1866, and by 1870, he owned $2,000 of real estate and $200 of personal property. His wife died on December 13, 1879, and he married Jane Waite on August 29, 1880. Strong died in Milwaukee on April 14, 1893.