Joseph Laban Wall was born in Gloucester, England, in 1838, the son of William and Sarah Sansome Wall. His hair was dark, and his eyes a blue gray.

At age 18 he and his family became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After joining the Church they wanted to come to Utah. Because they did not have enough money for all of them to travel, Joseph and his sister Sarah Emily were chosen to represent the family and journey to Utah. Then they were to work hard to send money for the rest of their family to come. They had a blessing from Apostle Orson Hyde before setting sail, and they were promised that they would suffer many hardships but would complete the journey in safety.

They joined the Martin Handcart Company to travel across the plains, but because they left Iowa so late, they got caught in the snowstorms in Wyoming. One night Joseph went to sleep between two men, and the next morning the other men had died of the cold, but he was alive because their bodies had kept him warm. He caught pneumonia, and the Company decided to leave him because they were sure he would die. His sister would not leave, and the Company came back for him. His sister and another girl pulled the handcart with Joseph in it until he was well enough to help.

Joseph married Selena Stevens in 1863, and he built a grist mill where he ground wheat and corn into flour. They had ten children, and they lived in Glenwood, Utah.