Willis Williams was born around 1862 in South Carolina. Williams worked as a laborer and resided in Sampson County, North Carolina. Williams was charged with larceny on June 3, 1878, and sentenced to seven years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Williams was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2735. Williams's race was described as "colored." Williams was sixteen years old when he was arrested. Williams was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Williams was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on November 2, 1884.