Henry Jenkins was born around 1851 in Tennessee. Jenkins worked as a laborer and resided in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Jenkins was charged with larceny on June 20, 1874, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Jenkins was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 903. In his sentencing records, Jenkins’ race is noted as "colored." Jenkins was twenty-three 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, Jenkins was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on April 21, 1877.