William Ray was born around 1854 in Virginia. Ray worked as a laborer and resided in Camden County, North Carolina. Ray was charged with larceny on January 25, 1875, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Ray was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 1082. In the descriptive register, Ray's race is noted as "colored." Ray was twenty years old when he was arrested. Ray was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Ray was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on December 15, 1876.