William Henry Talley was born around 1833 in Delaware to Hezekiah Talley. His father was a farmer who owned $3,000 of real estate and $600 of personal property by 1860. His mother probably died in the 1840s. Talley grew up and attended school in Brandywine Hundred, Delaware, and by 1850, he was working as a clerk. He married Hannah E. Bright on November 18, 1857, and their daughter Sarah was born around 1858. They settled in Wilmington, Delaware, and Talley worked as a clerk. By 1860, he owned $1,000 of real estate and $500 of personal property. He died in 1866.