Thomas Ethelder Massey was born on September 6, 1895, in Bixby, North Carolina. Massey was a farmer in Bixby when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He was subsequently inducted into the service in December 1918 and served with a headquarters company of infantry at Camp Greene, North Carolina, until honorably discharged in March 1919. He died in Butner (Granville County) on October 12, 1956.