He was born March 2, 1822, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, one of ten children of Sylvester Taylor, a butcher (1793–1881) and Sarah Eaton (1793–1870).
hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn mˈɑːɹtʃ tˈuː, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti tˈuː, ɪn sˈaʊθ hˈædli, mˌæsɐtʃˈuːsɪts, wˈʌn ʌv tˈɛn tʃˈɪldɹən ʌv sˈɪlvɛstɚ tˈeɪlɚ, ɐ bˈʊtʃɚ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wˈʌn ænd sˈɛɹə ˈiːtən wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti.