When Charles Lafayette Terry was born on 13 May 1882, in Sullivan, Franklin, Missouri, United States, his father, James Lewis Terry, was 34 and his mother, Sarah Ann Blankenship, was 30. He married Lockie Bell Bowman on 1 September 1901, in Henderson, Texas, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 1 daughter. He lived in Texola, Beckham, Oklahoma, United States in 1910 and Justice Precinct 5, Stephens, Texas, United States in 1930. He died on 4 February 1961, in Houston, Harris, Texas, United States, at the age of 78, and was buried in Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, United States.