Jessie Evans was born around 1855 in North Carolina. Evans worked as a laborer and resided in Yadkin County, North Carolina. Evans was charged with larceny on March 18, 1878, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Evans was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2613. Evans's race is described as "colored." Evans was twenty-three years old when he was arrested. Evans was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Evans was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on December 10, 1880.