Joseph served in the Revolutionary War. He marched 24 Apr, 1775to Biddeford in response to the alarm of 19 Apr, 1775. Josephwas Captain of a Militia Company in Buxton and was proud of histitle of honor. Joseph settled on the Buxton side of the river not long after1773. He built his first house of one story in the summer of1776. In 1802 he built a larger, square, two-story house a shortdistance behind the original house, and here he lived for theremainder of his life. Joseph was founder of the Bar Mills on the Buxton side of theriver and owned most, if not all, of the land where thatvilliage now stands. A dam was built at the Bar Mills in 1795and that year Joseph built the first sawmill on the Buxton side.His cousin John Woodman and others built the first one on theHollis side. By 1798 Joseph had also built a grist mill, afulling mill, and later, a carding mill, believed to be thefirst in Maine.Joseph was primarily a lumberman, selling locally and in theWest Indies. Lumber shipped to the Indies was frequentlybartered for rum and molasses, valuable commodities in Maine. Hedied at the age of 75 as the result of a leg injury sustainedwhile assisting in placement of a pier for the first bridgeacross the river at Bar Mills.