John Robertson was born around 1857 in North Carolina. Robertson worked as a laborer and resided in Wake County, North Carolina. Robertson was charged with larceny on April 17, 1874, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Robertson was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 845. In his sentencing records, Robertson's race is noted as "colored." Robertson was seventeen years old when he was arrested. He was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Robertson was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on March 5, 1876.