Taylor's formal education was sporadic because Kentucky's education system was just taking shape during his formative years.[10]
Taylor's mother taught him to read and write,[11] and he later attended a school operated by Elisha Ayer, a teacher originally from Connecticut.[10] He also attended a Middletown, Kentucky, academy run by Kean O'Hara, a classically trained scholar from Ireland and the father of Theodore O'Hara.[12] Ayer recalled Taylor as a patient and quick learner, but his early letters showed a weak grasp of spelling and grammar,[13][14] as well as poor handwriting. All improved over time, but his handwriting remained difficult to read.[13][14]

Marriage and family
In June 1810, Taylor married Margaret Mackall Smith, whom he had met the previous autumn in Louisville. "Peggy" Smith came from a prominent family of Maryland planters—her father was Major Walter Smith, who had served in the Revolutionary War.[15][16] The couple had six children:

Ann Mackall Taylor (1811–1875),[17] married Robert C. Wood, a U.S. Army surgeon at Fort Snelling, in 1829.[18] Their son John Taylor Wood served in the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy. 