Joseph inherited his fathers sheep station. He married a local woman, Alice Fitzgibbon, who was a descendant of a London pickpocket. Her pickpocket ancestor was caught, and instead of being hung, like most pickpockets, was sentenced to Transportation. That is, he was exiled to the penal colony in Australia. Joseph's life proved to be much less interesting than his wife's ancestor. In fact, the most interesting feature of Joseph's life was his death. One day Joseph was out looking for stray sheep, when his horse stepped in a hole. The horse collapsed and shattered Joseph's leg. When the search party found him, it was unclear whether he died as a result of internal bleeding from his wounds or from thirst.