Alexander Hill was born around 1854 in North Carolina. Hill worked as a laborer and resided in Davidson County, North Carolina. Hill was charged with larceny on April 15, 1878, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Hill was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2660. In the descriptive register, Hill's race is noted as white. Hill was 24 years old when he was arrested. Hill was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Hill was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on July 25, 1881.