James Drever was born at Hammar on 2nd October 1853, the oldest child of James Drever and Mary Harcus. Both parents had died by the time that he was sixteen. James went to Edinburgh and married Annie Scott Michie on 18th October 1877 in North Leith. Annie was born on 18th June 1859 to Robert Michie and Elizabeth (Isabella) Anderson at Dysart, Fife. At the time of their wedding, James was a journeyman baker and his father-in-law was a master baker. James and Annie had nine known children:

• Isabella (Bella) Anderson Drever, b. about 1879 who married Andrew C. Dunlop on New Years Day 1900 in the Kelvin district of Glasgow. Andrew, born about 1876, was the son of Andrew Dunlop, a weaver and Agnes Bowie Galloway, and was a journeyman tapedresser at the time of his marriage. They ultimately immigrated to San Francisco and had five children. Bella died 16th Feb 1935 in San Francisco.

• James Hercus Drever, b. about 1881 and d. 11th Jan 1883, age 2

• Robert Drever, b.about 1882 and married Nancy Johnson. According to family historian Dorothy Drever, he was a ship's carpenter and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He had a family of two daughters. At the time his parents emigrated in 1923 he was still in Scotland, living in Yoker, Glasgow.

• William Drever, b.26th Jun 1885 and married Mima Beaton. He died in San Francisco 11th Oct 1952.

• David Drever, b.about 1888 who married Margaret McDougall and lived in Carlisle, England. He had one son.

• Annie Scott Drever, b. about July 1892 and d. 10th Aug 1893

• Jamesina (Ina) Drever, b. 3rd Aug 1894 who married 10th July 1917 William J. Ridler in the Scotstoun and Yoker district of Renfrewshire. William was the son of Robert Ridler and Evelyn Morrison, born about 1892. In July 1922, they immigrated to Denver, Colorado to join William's father who was a shoemaker there. The Ridlers had two daughters. Ina later moved to San Francisco where she lived for many years. She died in Orange County, in southern California, on 2nd Dec 1994, at the age of 100.

• Ruby Mary (May) Drever, b. about Aug 1898 and d. 29th July 1899.

• Edith (Eva) Drever, b. 21st Apt 1901 and went with her parents to Denver, Colorado in 1923. She married John McDiarmid and died in Denver in 1936, in childbirth. She had previously given birth to two sons.

James was a master baker in Edinburgh where he lived for about 50 years. However, he, Annie and their youngest daughter Eva immigrated to the US together, arriving in New York on 1st August 1923. They went to Denver, Colorado to join daughter Ina and her family who had moved there a year earlier.