Harvey Seely was born on December 20, 1887 in Hammonton, Atlantic County, New Jersey. He was the son of Agnes I (Doerfel) and Jonathon L. Seely.

The 1900 through 1940 census reports have the family living on a farm at 116 Chew Road in Hammonton, New Jersey.

Harvey died in January of 1976 at 88 years of age.