Joseph was born in 1897 in Russia (Grodno) and came to the US in 1899 and was naturalized in 1905 or 1906. As of the 1910 US Census, he lived at 1213 Decatur St, Denver with his parents. When he was 20 years old, he worked as an inspector for the Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC. As of the 1930 US Census, he lived at 255 West Laurel (?) St, Fort Collins, Colorado and worked as a professor at a college. In 1940, he lived at 609 Smith St, Fort Collins, with his wife Bertha and taught mechanical engineering. Joseph is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Commerce City, Colorado (plot P-06-07).