Joseph Hartley was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, on February 28, 1800. Hartley married Mary (called Polly) Singleton in 1821, and the couple were baptized into the Predestinarian Baptist Church in 1822. Hartley soon began preaching in the church and became an Elder. He later helped found the Little Flock, Sinking Creek, and New Hope congregations in Kentucky, as well as the Regular Baptist Church in Illinois with Louis Duncan, Louis Williams, John Maddox, William Davis, and Achelius Coffey. Hartley lived in Hardin County, Kentucky, until 1841, when he and his family moved to Jefferson, Illinois, in search of better living conditions. Following Polly's death in 1860, Hartley married a widow named M'Kee.
From the description of A short sketch of the life of Elder Joseph Hartley, together with the religious profession he has made, and his call to the ministry : including the most noted incidents of his life, as they occurred from time to time. Also a short comment on "The Two Witnesses," the first and second beasts spoken of in Revelations, 1864. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 501190370
