John McClees was born around 1850 in North Carolina. McClees was a coachman who resided in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. McClees was charged with larceny on April 8, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. McClees was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2649. McClees's race was described as "colored." McClees was twenty-eight years old when he was arrested. McClees was noted as being able to both read and write. During his incarceration, McClees was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on February 1, 1880.