William H. Patterson was born around 1833 in North Carolina. Patterson worked as a laborer and resided in Northampton County, North Carolina. Patterson was charged with larceny on May 20, 1878, and sentenced to six years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Patterson was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2702. Patterson's race is described as "colored." Patterson was forty-five years old when he was arrested. Patterson was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Patterson was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on May 20, 1884.