John Smith was born around 1851 in South Carolina. Smith worked as a laborer and resided in Rowan County, North Carolina. Smith was charged with larceny on April 1, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Smith was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2618. Smith 's race was described as “colored." Smith was twenty-seven years old when he was arrested. Smith was noted as being able to read. During his incarceration, Smith was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on February 4, 1880.