Ben Hester was born around 1858 in North Carolina. Hester worked as a laborer and resided in Wake County, North Carolina. Hester was charged with larceny on July 3, 1874, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Hester was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 902. In his sentencing records, Hester’s race is noted as “colored.” Hester was sixteen years old when he was arrested. Hester was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. The register notes that Hester escaped from Wilmington on August 11, 1875, and was recaptured on July 16, 1876. During his incarceration, Hester was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on June 18, 1877.