John Wilson was born around 1851 in North Carolina. Wilson worked as a laborer and resided in Lenoir County, North Carolina, with his wife Nicey Wilson and their children. Wilson was charged with larceny on April 3, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Wilson was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2616. Wilson 's race is described as "colored." Wilson was twenty-seven years old when he was arrested. Wilson was noted as being able to read. During his incarceration, Wilson was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on February 2, 1880.