Henry Stokes was born around 1854 in North Carolina. Stokes worked as a farm laborer and resided in Brogden (Wayne County), North Carolina. Stokes was charged with larceny on October 6, 1874, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Stokes was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 932. In his sentencing records, Stokes’ race is noted as "colored."  Stokes was twenty years old when he was arrested. He was noted as being able to read. During his incarceration, Stokes was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on August 8, 1876.