When Norris Stokes was born on December 8, 1892, his father, John, was 26 and his mother, Hannah, was 24. He had one brother and five sisters. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Wagoner in Supply Company, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He died from his wounds received in battle on May 18, 1918 and is now buried in Antioch Baptist Cemetery, La Crosse, Alachua County, Florida, USA. His name is memorialized on a plaque located at the County Courthouse in Gainsville, FL.