Jonathan Phelps was born in Perquimans Precinct, North Carolina on April 13, 1687. A Quaker, Phelps owned a plantation along the Perquimans River, where he also operated an informal ferry service. In 1720 an enslaved man named Sambo referenced the location of Phelps' plantation in his deposition. Phelps died in Perquimans in December 1732.