James W. "Isham" Crow was born around 1855 in North Carolina. Crow was a teacher who resided in Wayne County, North Carolina. Crow was charged with forgery in Pender County, North Carolina, on December 21, 1877, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Crow was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2730. In the descriptive register, Crow's race is noted as Black. Crow was 22 years old when he was arrested. Crow was a graduate of Shaw University. During his incarceration, Crow was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on October 2, 1880. He may have later resided in Washington, DC.