When Joseph Albert Teem was born on 30 January 1907, in Jackson, Cassia, Idaho, United States, his father, John Robert Teem, was 40 and his mother, Sarah Catherine Irvin, was 36. He married Hazel Ruth Hiltibiddle on 19 November 1932, in Adams, Idaho, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Adams, Idaho, United States in 1935 and Council, Adams, Idaho, United States in 1940. He died on 16 August 1998, in La Pine, Deschutes, Oregon, United States, at the age of 91, and was buried in Deschutes Memorial Gardens, Deschutes, Deschutes, Oregon, United States.