Pompey Hairston was born around 1818 in North Carolina. Hairston worked as a laborer and resided in Stokes County, North Carolina, with his wife Sallie Hairston. Hairston was charged with larceny on May 27, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Hairston was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2728. Hairston's race was described as "colored." Hairston was sixty years old when he was arrested. Hairston was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Hairston was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on March 23, 1880.