Born to James Orr and Agnes Bowie. Little is known of his father, but his mother, of English birth in Newcastle, had married a Frederick William SMith in Leith in 1862 having three children before being made a widow. Agnes later married a man named Robert Pettit in 1839.  She died in 1891. James was not resident with his step father in Leith by 1901. 

James signed on to the Titanic as an Assistant Vegetable cook, having previously held the same postion on the Olympic. Nothing is known of his time on the vessel and he died in the tragedy.

His body was never recovered.