Isaac Allison was born around 1843 in North Carolina. Allison was a farmer who resided in Iredell County, North Carolina. Allison was charged with larceny, specifically the theft of a hog, on April 3, 1873, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Allison was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 650. In his sentencing records, Allison's race is noted as "colored." Alison was 30 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, Allison was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on February 6, 1876.