James Coles was a resident of Perquimants Precinct, North Carolina. In 1698 a group of three men of color that were Coles' servants stole clothing and ran away from the property. If the men were ever apprehended, no record of it survives. Coles later served as an attorney and member of the Perquimans Precinct Court. In 1705 he testified in support of Sanders, an American Indian indentured servant who successfully sued for his freedom. Coles died in Perquimans in about January 1713.