Powhatan Sullivan was born around 1857 in North Carolina. Sullivan worked as a laborer and resided in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Sullivan was charged with larceny on May 10, 1875, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Sullivan was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 1243. In the descriptive register, Sullivan 's race is noted as "colored."  Sullivan was 18 years old when he was arrested. Sullivan was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Sullivan was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on March 24, 1877.