When George Ira Gosnell was born on 3 September 1866, in Glassy, Greenville, South Carolina, United States, his father, William Matthew Gosnell, was 29 and his mother, Elizabeth Green, was 24. He married Nettie Ann Atkins about 1887, in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in O'Neal, Greenville, South Carolina, United States in 1910 and Greenville, South Carolina, United States in 1920. He died on 15 November 1938, in Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina, United States, at the age of 72.