George William Boatright was born in 1886, the son of Will and Anna Ham Boatright. George's paternal grandfather died in the Confederate Army in 1862, and his maternal grandfather suffered from alcoholism and did not support his family. As a result, both of George's parents grew up in non-traditional families and in dire financial circumstances. His parents married in 1884 and worked as sharecroppers until the devastating drought of 1896. That year, after a promising early spring, the rains stopped in April and a strong, dry, and unrelenting wind began in May. Once the summer heat hit in June, crops withered, foliage died, the streams and creeks dried up. The region experienced a complete and total crop failure. Even the mast failed, meaning livestock began to starve. That winter was brutal, and in their weakened state, livestock began to starve and freeze to death. Widespread famine hit the region, causing people from other regions to send trainloads of grain to help those in need.

The drought hit George's family hard, as the crop failure made it impossible for Will Boatright to pay his creditors for the supplies they had advanced him in early 1896. This forced Will Boatright to move his family to Hamburg, Ashley County Arkansas in 1897, where he found work at a mill and as a night watchman. In late 1900, Anna contracted measles along with her children, and hers progressed to pneumonia. She died on December 13. Will Boatright contracted measles, with his also progressing to pneumonia. He died in 8 February 1901, thus leaving their children orphans. George returned to his relatives near Farmerville with his younger siblings, where he did farm work and made staves.

George William Boatright married Elizabeth Dean in 1911, and they joined the Wards Chapel Church of Christ and farmed near Farmerville for the next two decades. He died prematurely at the age of only forty-eight.