When Joel Elisha Eaves was born on 27 September 1882, in Louisville, Winston, Mississippi, United States, his father, Joel William Eaves, was 30 and his mother, Emma Adeline Haggard, was 28. He married Minnie Carr in 1903. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 6 daughters. He lived in Beat 2, Winston, Mississippi, United States for about 40 years. He died on 26 July 1964, in Noxubee, Mississippi, United States, at the age of 81, and was buried in Ellison Ridge Cemetery, Ellison Ridge, Winston, Mississippi, United States.