Joseph E. Ray was born on January 7, 1851, in Walker, Texas, and raised in Fillmore, Utah. He attended the Brigham Young Academy and had a lifelong interest in medicine developed under the tutalage of his father John A. Ray, who had worked as an Indian agent but also studied to become a surgeon. Ray married Mary Emily Warner on December 25, 1870, and the couple eventually had seven children. Ray served as captain of the Fillmore Vigilance Committee, which tracked outlaws and cattle thieves. He received a silver medal from Wells Fargo and membership in the California Detectives Association for his participation in the capture of the Ney Gang. Ray died in Fillmore on June 17, 1925.
From the description of Recollections of Joseph E. Ray on friends and Fillmore, before 1925. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 569497770
