Emit Marin Edmonds was born on March 18, 1895 in Clinton. He was the son of John Edmonds and Minty Norman Edmonds. He had four brothers, Floyd Edmonds, Elizah Edmonds, Oliver Edmonds, and George Edmonds, and three sisters, Ella Edmonds, Cora Edmonds McBee, and Nora Edmonds Underwood. By 1900, Emit Edmonds was living with his family in Campbell County and, by 1910, the family had moved to Morgan County. Prior to joining the military, Emit Edmonds worked as a blacksmith. On March 20, 1919, he died of tuberculosis at Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is buried in Worthington Cemetery in Anderson County.