William Kaye was born on February 9, 1813, in Fornley, Tyas Moor, Yorkshire, England.

[1] His father was a clothing manufacturer, trained as a machinist, and came to Louisville in 1836.

Kaye was not an open supporter of the Confederacy, but he was backed by some secessionists.

[citation needed] Kaye married Mary Pattison of Chillicothe, Ohio in 1839.

[1] Kaye died on November 19, 1890, at his boarding house in Louisville[1] of heart failure and is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.