Joel B. Shirley was born in Georgia, United States in May 1898 to Tribble Shirley and Sarah (Unknown).
Their family resided in the Big Creek district of Milton County, Georgia.
Sources
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3JK-6HK : accessed 13 July 2021), Joel B Shirley in household of Tribble Shirley, Militia District 1227, Big Creek, Milton, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 106, sheet 3A, family 46, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,212.
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML2T-9X8 : accessed 13 July 2021), Joel B Sholey in household of Trebble Sholey, Big Creek, Milton, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 123, sheet 3B, family 59, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 204; FHL microfilm 1,374,217.