David White was born around 1858 in North Carolina. White worked as a laborer and resided in Rockingham County, North Carolina. White was charged with larceny on April 29, 1878, and sentenced to five years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. White was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2688. In the descriptive register, White's race is noted as Black. White was twenty years old when he was arrested. White was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, White was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on January 3, 1883.