Rattliff was one of five sons and two daughters born to James W. Rattliff (1904-1987), a tenant farmer, and the former Estell Dobson (1907-1984), a couple from Green County in south central Kentucky [REF].
In 1951, Rattliff married the former Jewell Merritt (born February 1, 1932), a Campbellsville native who had lived for a time in Cincinnati, Ohio.