Tobias Duncan was born around 1856 in South Carolina. Duncan worked as a laborer and resided in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Duncan was charged with larceny on April 20, 1874, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Duncan was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 851. The register notes his "color" as white. Duncan was eighteen years old when he was arrested. He was noted as being able to read. During his incarceration, Duncan was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on April 4, 1876.