When George Washington Norris was born on 3 August 1828, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, his father, John Norris, was 46 and his mother, Elizabeth Harrell, was 39. He married Mary Ann Hewett on 30 March 1848, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 7 daughters. He lived in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States in 1850 and Western Division, Walker, Alabama, United States in 1860. He registered for military service in 1862. He died on 25 December 1897, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, at the age of 69, and was buried in Nazareth Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States.