George Smith was born around 1861 in North Carolina. Smith was a barber who resided in Salisbury  (Rowan County), North Carolina. Smith was charged with larceny on April 29, 1878, and sentenced to five 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 2680. In the descriptive register, Smith's race is noted as Black. Smith was seventeen years old when he was arrested. Smith was noted as being able to both read and write. During his incarceration, Smith was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on March 29, 1883.