Julia was born about 1865 in North Carolina. According to the 1880 Census, she is the daughter of Solomon Guion and Grace Unknown. Solomon was not her biological father, as he would have been only 10 years old when she was born. In the 1880 Census she was living in Bethel Township, Bladen County, North Carolina and was listed as a black female, age 15. She could not read or write. Her parents were born in North Carolina .