George Wood was born around 1858 in North Carolina. Wood worked as a laborer and resided in Scotch Irish (Rowan County), North Carolina. Wood was charged with larceny on April 29, 1878, and sentenced to one year in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Wood was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2681. Wood's race is noted as "colored."  Wood was twenty years old when he was arrested. Wood was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Wood was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on April 5, 1879.