Aster Beckwith was born around 1847 in North Carolina. Beckwith worked as a laborer and resided in Johnston County, North Carolina. Beckwith was charged with larceny on March 22, 1875, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Beckwith was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 1153. In the descriptive register, Beckwith's race is noted as "colored." Beckwith was twenty-eight years old when he was arrested. Beckwith was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Beckwith was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on March 22, 1877.