Joseph Edward Sanderson, son of William Henry Sanderson and Maria Arbon, was born 7 March 1884 at Malad, Oneida County, Idaho, the eighth child in a family of ten. The family lived first in Box Elder County, Utah and then moved to Idaho where they lived at Summit Mills, Malad, and Young. Joe spent his youth learning to work at jobs like clearing land for farms, herding sheep, cutting logs for firewood; but quite early he learned to work with cement and this is the kind of work he did most of his life. It was at Young, Idaho in December of 1908 that Joe met Rhoda Azalia Mason, daughter of James T. B. Mason and Rhoda A. Hinckley; but it was not until 17 December 1915 that they were married in the Salt Lake City, Utah LDS Temple after Joe was baptized a member of the church. They were the parents of nine children as follows:
| Name | Birth Date | Birth Place | Death Date of Where Living |
| Rhoda Azalia | 16 December 1916 | Parker- St. Anthony, Idaho | 14 March 1927- Gridley, California |
| Rolan Joseph | 28 February 1918 | Parker- St. Anthony, Idaho | 7 September 1935- Nampa, Idaho |
| Edward Arbon | 17 January 1920 | Parker- St. Anthony, Idaho | Imperial Beach, California |
| Nina (Carpenter) | 20 March 1921 | Parker- St. Anthony, Idaho | Bakersfield, California |
| Wanda (Watt) | 21 May 1922 | Parker- St. Anthony, Idaho | Nampa, Idaho |
| Ralph Mason | 3 December 1923 | Compton, Los Angeles, California | Boise, Idaho |
| Gordon Frederick | 14 August 1925 | Gridley, Butte, California | Nampa, Idaho |
| Pearl | 5 September 1927 | Wilder, Canyon, Idaho | Nampa, Idaho |
| James William | 22 February 1929 | Nampa, Canyon, Idaho | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Joseph Edward Sanderson died at Nampa, Canyon, Idaho on 29 October 1949. He left a growing posterity and several works of cement as witness of his worthwhile life.
By Gordon Sanderson
(on the back of this page are pictures lined up in a row: Headshot of Joseph Edward Sanderson – 1914, A family portrait. Description under the family portrait says: Joseph Edward and Rhoda Azalia Sanderson and Family – 1942, Front row, l. to r. – Wanda (Watts), Joseph Edward, Rhoda Azalia, James William. Back row, l. to r. – Nina (Carpenter), Ralph Mason, Gordon Fredrick, Edward Arbon, Pearl (Nay). A snapshot of a woman and two young girls. Description under the photo says: Rhoda and Rolan with Rhoda Azalia. These children died at ages 10 and 16 years.)