David was the son of John and Hannah Collin (Huston) Taggart.

John was well educated attending the Academies at Dickinson and Milton. He read law with the famous Ebenezer Greenough. Interested in agriculture he served for some time as president of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. He was nominated and ran for governor of Pennsylvania but was defeated by Andrew G. Curtin. Before the Civil War he was a State Senator and served three terms; serving the last three years of his term as Speaker of that body; he was the Whig State Central Committee Chairman in 1852 and subsequently became a Republican. He also served as school director and held a number of offices in the borough. He enlisted in Union Army during the Civil War and served during the length of the war. During his time of enlistment he worked in the Paymaster's Department, with the rank of Colonel. After the close of the Civil War he was appointed Pay-master in the Quartermaster's Department in regular Army, serving many years in the West and South. He was an excellent public speaker and was frequently called on to address public celebrations (Biographical Sketches Northumberland Borough and Point Township, Chapter XLVII, and Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District, 1899).

David was the son of John and Hannah Collin (Huston) Taggart.

John was well educated attending the Academies at Dickinson and Milton. He read law with the famous Ebenezer Greenough. Interested in agriculture he served for some time as president of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. He was nominated and ran for governor of Pennsylvania but was defeated by Andrew G. Curtin. Before the Civil War he was a State Senator and served three terms; serving the last three years of his term as Speaker of that body; he was the Whig State Central Committee Chairman in 1852 and subsequently became a Republican. He also served as school director and held a number of offices in the borough. He enlisted in Union Army during the Civil War and served during the length of the war. During his time of enlistment he worked in the Paymaster's Department, with the rank of Colonel. After the close of the Civil War he was appointed Pay-master in the Quartermaster's Department in regular Army, serving many years in the West and South. He was an excellent public speaker and was frequently called on to address public celebrations (Biographical Sketches Northumberland Borough and Point Township, Chapter XLVII, and Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District, 1899).