Henry Harvey Whitehead was born on February 18, 1894, in Chatham County, North Carolina. Whitehead was a farmer in Pittsboro, North Carolina, when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He was inducted into the service in October of that year and served in the 318th Machine Gun Battalion and 1st C Artillery Park. From September 1918 to August 1919, Whitehead was deployed overseas. He was honorably discharged from the service on August 10, 1919. He died in Siler City (Chatham County) on January 12, 1986.