John Kent Taliaferro was born between 1866 and 1869, the son of Thomas Taliaferro and Cynthia. He worked as a plasterer.
In November 1889, he married Nannie Jennings, and the couple had a son, Taylor, born in 1893. Following her death, he later married Margie Elizabeth “Lizzie” Harris, a widow.
He made his home at 502 5th Avenue NW in Roanoke. John Kent Taliaferro died on October 30, 1936, of pneumonia.