Edwin Monroe Long was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on February 15, 1889. Long grew up working on his family’s farm. By the mid-1910s, he was the owner of a North Wilkesboro movie theatre. Beginning around 1920, Long opened a grocery store in North Wilkesboro which he operated for several decades. He died in Morganton (Burke County) in March 9, 1965.