Laura Barrow was born around 1859 in North Carolina. Barrow worked as a house servant and resided in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Barrow was charged with larceny on May 16, 1873, and sentenced to four years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Barrow was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 691. The descriptive register notes her "color" as Black. Barrow was fourteen years old when she was arrested. She was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning she could not read or write at that time. During her incarceration, Barrow was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. She was discharged on March 24, 1877.