Joe was born at the family home near 3rd South and 3rd West. While he was still a child, his family settled in the fertile farming country of Hooper on Great Salt Lake. They lived in a two room house with adobe bricks that James made himself. None of their children were baptized until they were adults. Eli, their 10th child, died when he was a year old. Two years later, their 12 year old Elizabeth and 7 year old Joshua died within two days of diphtheria. Mary Ann, weakened by lung disease, died 2 months later on Jan 1, 1889, leaving her five sons and their sister Mary. In 1894, Mary married John Clark. In 1895, John and Mary moved to Idaho, and Joe went with them. He borrowed one horse and with the one he had pulled an old covered wagon. Mary and John also had an old covered wagon. They bought $3.75 worth of food to last the 7 day trip. They kept the food in a grub box. On the way they cooked on a campfire and they slept in the wagon box. They stayed the last night of the trip in Blackfoot. The family settled across the road east of the home Merrill Blake lived in at Jameston.

Taylor was then known as Sand creek. The mailman came to William Priest's home two times a week in a one horse cart and brought the mail. There wasn't more than a dozen houses in the community at that time. Idaho Falls at that time was called Eagle Rock with two stores, ZCMI and Anderson Bros. Building, Robert and Jack. There was one block of sidewalk made with 2" plank 6 foot long. The Post Office was in the Anderson Store.

Joe went to work across the river to New Sweden to work for a man names Dell Rice. He received $1.25 per day. He slept on the ground with the sage brush and wood ticks. He was up at 4 am and worked until late at night. The following summer he homesteaded 80 acres and built a two room home on it, which was later the Frank Fielding home. Joseph was married to Amy Arave on December 13, 1900, by her father as a minister of the gospel. They kept building onto the house as their family grew. Eleven children were born there. No mothers went to the hospital in those days.

Joe was a hard worker and good financier. His family never wanted for anything. He bought land in Idaho Falls where the Library stands now. It housed the Arave Hotel. He bought another 40 acres in Jameston from John Clark, then another 160 acres from William Arave in Taylor which he sold to Dick Hampton and Charles Reid. They tossed a coin to see who got the side with the house. Dick won the toss. Later, Bill and Judy Hampton lived in that home. Joseph also bought land in Hamer on a bird reserve, and his mother's sister lived up there. Joseph was baptized Dec. 10, 1919 by Bishop John Dick. He and Amy went to the temple in June 1920 and took their 7 children to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed to them. Twice after that, Joseph became seriously ill and was healed through the priesthood.

Joseph gave each of his three sons 40 acres. He farmed until 1942, when he retired. He gave Bill the land where Merrill Blake used to live, next to Jameston school. Frank and Verl each wanted 80 acres so they bought the farm where Verl stayed, and Frank took the 80 acres with the family home. Joe bought a home for Amy at 469 3rd Street in March of 1945, just two months before he died of heart attack.