John Clark was born around 1853 in Maryland. Clark worked as a laborer and resided in Washington County, North Carolina. Clark was charged with larceny on September 19, 1878, and sentenced to five years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Clark was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2822. Clark's race was recorded as Black. Clark was twenty-five years old when he was arrested. Clark was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Clark was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on May 12, 1883.