Peter Davidson was born around 1830 in North Carolina. Davidson was a farmer who resided in Coddle Creek (Iredell County), North Carolina, with his wife Susan Davidson and their children. Davidson was charged with larceny on June 9, 1874, and sentenced to four years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Davidson was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 897. In his sentencing records, Davidson’s race is noted as "colored." Davidson was forty-four years old when he was arrested. He was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Davidson was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on January 26, 1878.