When Joseph Allen Poland was born on 22 June 1908, in Luke, Allegany, Maryland, United States, his father, Howard Poland, was 40 and his mother, Ella Minerva Allen, was 37. He married Evelyn Lovina Lease on 20 April 1930, in Cresaptown, Allegany, Maryland, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons. He died on 28 February 1981, at the age of 72, and was buried in Anne Arundel, Maryland, United States.