When Joseph Litherland was born on 25 March 1841, in Wabash, Illinois, United States, his father, William O Litherland, was 32 and his mother, Elizabeth Wood, was 31. He married Catherine Ann Seibert on 12 November 1865, in Lancaster, Wabash, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 4 daughters. He lived in Illinois, United States in 1870 and Friendsville Election Precinct, Wabash, Illinois, United States in 1900. He died on 14 June 1910, in Friendsville, Wabash, Illinois, United States, at the age of 69, and was buried in Wabash Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Orio, Wabash, Illinois, United States.