When Roy Lee Holden was born on 11 December 1899, in North Carolina, United States, his father, Robert Eugene Holden, was 27 and his mother, Sallie Ann Cairnes, was 23. He married Phylona Sarah Maxwell on 24 November 1921, in Henderson, North Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 4 daughters. He lived in Mills River Township, Henderson, North Carolina, United States in 1940 and Horse Shoe, Henderson, North Carolina, United States in 1970. He died on 20 July 1970, in Henderson, North Carolina, United States, at the age of 70, and was buried in Shepherd Memorial Park, Mountain Home, Henderson, North Carolina, United States.