GEORGE CLEVELAND SAUNDERS was born in Camden, New Jersey on April 4, 1886 to Henry and Emma Saunders. He was the fifth of six children, coming after siblings Kate, Thomas, Emma, and Gertrude and before younger sister Alice. The family was living in the Town of Stockton at the time of his birth, first in the Wrightsville section. By 1890 they were at "High nr 3rd, C Hill", Third Avenue later being renamed Wayne Avenue. By 1892 the family had moved to 2719 Grant Avenue in Cramer Hill. Grant Avenue was renamed Concord Avenue after Stockton was annexed to Camden in 1899.

The 1900 and 1910 Censuses and the 1914 City Directory shows George Saunders at 2719 Concord Avenue in Cramer Hill. At the time of the Census his parents, older siblings  After working as a messenger in his early teens, George Saunders went to work at an iron foundry as a moulder, where his father and brother worked. most likely the Camden Foundry Company at the foot of Elm Street in North Camden, owned by Nelson Johnson and Benjamin Holt.

George Saunders married Anna Wood, the daughter of James and Elinore Wood, around 1916. The Censuses of 1920 and 1930 record no children, however.

George Saunders was working as a punch press operator at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard when he registered for the draft on September 12, 1918. He and his wife were then living at 631 Cedar Street in North Camden. George Saunders was appointed to the Camden Fire Department before January of 1920. The census shows George and Anna Saunders still living at 631 Cedar Street.

By the time the 1924 Camden City Directory was compiled, George and Anna Saunders had moved to 608 North 7th Street. This would be his address into the 1960s.

George Saunders was serving as a hoseman with Engine Company 9 when he was promoted to junior captain on April 3, 1928. When he registered for the draft in the spring of 1942 George Saunders was still working for the Camden Fire Department. The 1947 Camden City Directory does not indicate if George Saunders was still working for the Fire Department. If he was, rules regarding mandatory retirement would have come into effect in the spring of 1951.

George Saunders passed away at the age of 99 in September of 1985.