Joseph Foor and his oldest son, Charles Wesley Foor were carpenters, and decided to explore the world out west. They boarded a boat in the Ohio River on January 1, 1873. During the trip, the river froze up. The boat finally was able the navigate on the icy river, and finally broke free and entered the Mississippi early in February. They boated down, and debarked in New Orleans in early spring. They decided that New Orleans was not to their liking, and began to navigate the Red River north and west across Louisiana. They spent time in Monroe building a Presbyterian Church and a couple of houses. They moved west toward Texas, and began work at Marshall and Longview. Charley reported that his father fell ill with appendicitis, and it went basically untreated by modern standards.

Based on the first-hand interview of Charley by a noted Texas Historian in 1927, Charley continued his narrative in first-person experience. It may have been that Joseph continued in ill-health, and was recuperating over the next few years, while Charley worked to support them.

Charley worked his way to Dallas, Fort Worth, and Weatherford by about 1875. Over the next five years, they must have ranged all over the Texas High Plains, and West Texas out as far as Big Spring in Howard County. Charley worked as a Buffalo hunter, Indian tracker and cow hand. It was during the middle of this five year period that they were living in, and around, Fort Griffin in Shackleford County. Charley noted in a single paragraph that his father, Joseph, died in Jack County, northwest of Fort Worth, and he was buried out on the open prairie, in December, 1877. That is the extent of the tale with regards to Joseph. There is no indication that they were in contact with his wife, or younger children, back in Kentucky. There is likewise, no indication that they ever planned to return to Kentucky.

Joseph's father was also named Joseph Frederick Foor. His mother was Mary Reilea.