Melville was born in New York City, on August 1, 1819, the third of eight children to Allan Melvill (1782–1832) and Maria (Gansevoort) Melvill (1791–1872), who were of Scottish and Dutch descent.
We entered it [Unimak Pass] on the afternoon of the 15th, when the wind fell, but the tide serving, we drifted through during the night. After entering Bearing Sea we had stronger winds, and after clearing the pass we were enabled to stand on our course, which carried us about sixty miles to the eastward of the Pribyloff Islands.