Nathan D. D. May was born around 1822 in Franklin County, North Carolina. He married Amarylis Barker on December 10, 1845, and they had at least six children: Mary, born around 1846; Isadore, born around 1849; Dorsen, born around 1851; Cora, born around 1856; Pinkney, born around 1859; and Nathan, born around 1861. He worked as a shoemaker in Louisburg, North Carolina, and by 1860, he owned $1,200 of real estate and $500 of personal property.

 

He enlisted in the Confederate army, and he mustered in as a private in Company C of the 8^th North Carolina Infantry on September 14, 1861. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 11 inches tall. Confederates deployed the regiment to Roanoke Island, and Union forces captured it on February 8, 1862. He received a parole on February 21, and he was probably exchanged in August 1862. He was promoted to sergeant in March 1863. The regiment took part in the defense of Charleston, South Carolina, and Petersburg, Virginia. He contracted pneumonia in December 1864 and spent several weeks recovering. He received a 60-day furlough on January 26, 1865, and it is unclear if he rejoined the regiment.

 

He returned to Louisburg after leaving the army, and he resumed his work as a shoemaker. By 1870, he owned $5,000 of personal property. His wife died on May 19, 1897, and he died in Louisburg on July 20, 1899.

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