When William Decatur Sanders was born on 5 July 1855, in Marietta, Prentiss, Mississippi, United States, his father, James Young Sanders, was 42 and his mother, Gabriella West, was 32. He married Willie Alice SIMS in 1888. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. He lived in Justice Precinct 2, Lamar, Texas, United States in 1910 and Justice Precinct 3, Lamar, Texas, United States in 1920. He died in June 1925, in Savannah, Andrew, Missouri, United States, at the age of 69, and was buried in Floydada, Floyd, Texas, United States.