Lloyd Smith was born around 1856 in North Carolina. Smith worked as a laborer and resided in Columbus County, North Carolina. Smith was charged with larceny on August 31, 1874, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Smith was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 911. In his sentencing records, Smith’s race is noted as "colored." Smith was eighteen 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, Smith was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on June 5, 1877.