hɪz pətˈɜːnəl ɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ, dʒˈɛnɚɹəl nɐθˈænjəl tˈeɪlɚ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti wˈʌn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪkstiːn, ɐ nˈeɪɾɪv ʌv ɹˈɑːkbɹɪdʒ kˈaʊnti, vɜːdʒˈɪniə, wʌz ɐmˌʌŋ ðɪ ˈɛɹiəz ˈɜːli sˈɛtlɚz ænd ðə kˈaʊntiz fˈɜːst ʃˈɛɹɪf; hiː bɪɡˈæn ðə kənstɹˈʌkʃən ʌv sɐbˈiːn hˈɪl ɪn ᵻlˈɪzɐbˌɛθtən.
His paternal grandfather, General Nathaniel Taylor (1771–1816), a native of Rockbridge County, Virginia, was among the area's early settlers and the county's first sheriff; he began the construction of Sabine Hill in Elizabethton.