Joseph was a young man when he first heard of the Book of Mormon. He and his sister traveled to Illinois to learn more of it. He embraced the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints with all his heart and soul and was so over joyed at finding the truth that he wrote a few verses to his mother who was a Methodist and still in New York. He became well acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. It is said that he lived near enough to the jail and hear the shots that were fired and witnessed the disturbances of that awful night when Joseph Smith and his brother were martyred.

He married Rosalie Elvira Perry in January 1837, and had two children, Joseph Mahonri and Caroline. Rosalie passed away shortly after Carolines birht. On 26 Jun 1842, he married Rosalie's sister, Amanda Melvina Perry. Their first two children were born in Nauvoo, and the other five in Utah.

His mother, Abigail Lewis Tippets, never joined the church but later she did come to Nauvoo and migrated with the Saints to Utah. When the Indian Wars became unbearable, the Saints were counselled to come to the larger settlements, and they came to Farmington and Brigham CIty area. Although he was very friendly to the Indians and she begged him not to move, he felt he should obey the counsel given by the leaders of the church. He did a lot for the Indians and could speak their language as well as he could his own.

One day a terrible accident occured which cast a shadow the entire family. It was summer time and Joseph was cleaning his gun, sitting in the house with the gun laying across his knees. The outside door was open and the barrel of the gun was facing the open door. His wife became concerned and went out to keep the children from the doorway. Unfortunatley, when she was making sure that none of the children would be hurt, the gun discharged and shot her in the side. She died a few days later and was buried in the Brigham City Cemetery.

2 Nov 1867, he married Rose Wickham and they were the parents of three children.

Joseph was a locksmith and cabinetmaker by trade. The beautiful chairs that he made were of the best quality at that time that could obtained. Many of his descendants became carpenters and poets, qualities which he possessed. He was very tender-hearted and sympathetic. His eyes often filled with tears over the sorrows and trials of others.

Because of his kindness to the Indians, when he died many came to his funeral and wept during the services. He died 12 Oct 1868, in Brigham City, Utah, and was buried in that city.

(From "A HISTORY OF BRIGHAM LEWIS TIPPETS, SR. AND HIS WIFE, ABIGAIL ELIZA, THEIR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND GREATGRANDCHILDREN. Compiled by Elizabeth Wilcock Tippets and Lucile Tippets Moncur)