Martin Parker was born around 1862 in North Carolina. Parker worked as a laborer and resided in Harris (Stanly County) and Old Field (Cabarrus County) North Carolina. Parker was charged with pursuing livestock on March 25, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Parker was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2625. In the descriptive register, Parker's race is noted as Black. Parker was sixteen years old when he was arrested. Parker was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Parker was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on January 26, 1880.