Emerson was born on September 23rd, 1913. Emerson's father was Monroe Deem and his mother was Nancy Ellen Johnson. His paternal grandparents were Michael L Deem and Laura Deem. He had two brothers and a sister, named Elbert, Cecil and Ethel. He was the second youngest of the four children. He died at the age of 87 on October 20th, 2000.