When William Joe Nelms was born on 6 March 1891, in Leaf, White, Georgia, United States, his father, James Nelms, was 33 and his mother, Mary Lucinda Kinsey, was 38. He married Flora Brewster on 23 May 1909, in White, Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son. He lived in District 1441, White, Georgia, United States for about 30 years and White, Los Angeles, California, United States in 1968. He died on 9 July 1968, in White, Georgia, United States, at the age of 77.