Nathan Curtis Humphries Jr., was born in Columbus, Georgia on November 9, 1893. His parents were Nathan Curtis Humphries Sr., and Mirsouri Johnson. He quit school at fifteen having reached the seventh grade. He was employed as a house boy prior to his enlistment. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in Atlanta, Georgia on February 18, 1915 as a cook. His company commander noted that Private Humphries was an “asset.” He had an excellent record while serving time in the Penitentiary. According to records he was eligible for parole on December 9, 1932. The Parole Board recommended that much of his sentence to confinement that exceeded thirty years be remitted.