Joseph Talley was born around 1799 in Delaware. He married Anna Maria Denny, and they had at least eight children: John, born around 1834; William, born around 1836; Francis, born around 1838; Wilbur, born around 1840; Joseph, born on July 15, 1842; Adam, born on September 6, 1844; Henry, born around 1847; and Harmon, born around 1849. They lived in Delaware until the 1830s, when they moved to Wayne, Indiana. Talley worked as a farmer, and by 1850, he owned $500 of real estate. He moved to Macoupin County, Illinois, in the early 1850s. His wife died sometime before 1870. By 1870, he was living with his son Wilbur in Macoupin County. He died sometime after 1870.