Cornelius King was born around 1826 in North Carolina. King worked as a laborer and resided in Lenoir County, North Carolina. King was charged with larceny on October 9, 1878, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. King was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 2841. King's race is noted as Black. King was fifty-two years old when he was arrested. King was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, King was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged on August 2, 1880.