Captain William Driver was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in the USA. He went to sea at the age of 14, and made his first voyage to Fiji, looking for beche-de-mer, in September, 1872, in the ship Clay under Captain Benjamin Vanderford. He spent 49 months in the South Seas beche-de-mer trade before returning to Salem. Given command of the Charles Doggett, he sailed for the Pacific again in January, 1831. He remained at sea until 1837 when he retired to Nashville, Tennessee.