Jim Canady was born around 1852 in North Carolina. Canady worked as a laborer and resided in Orange County, North Carolina. Canady was charged with larceny on October 26, 1874, and sentenced to three years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Canady was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 978. In the descriptive register, Canady’s race is noted as Black. Canady was twenty-two years old when he was arrested. Canady was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Canady was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on August 1, 1877. Canady was later convicted of burning a barn in Stanly County and sentenced to 10 years in the State Penitentiary.