In “Buchanan, Copeland, Ribble” Ida Ribble Duckworth writes the following about Joseph Ribble.

The first child of Adam Ribble, I, to have authentic record is Joseph, born 1781. This brief sketch was given by Cousin Elbert Ribble, Paris, Texas, taken from his father’s (Abraham) memoirs. “He was supposed to have been born in Virginia, settling near a little town in Indiana called Salem, where he reared quite a large family. He was married to Catherine Phillips, January 30, 1799. They were married by Christian Hostetler. He moved to Texas about 1847-8, locating at Clarksville, Red River County. His occupation was that of wheelwright, millwright, and Dunkard preacher. (Another member of the family reports that he was a Baptist preacher.) He engaged in building some of the oldest mills and gins in that part of the state. Later, he moved to Honey Grove, Fannin County, where he died August 7, 1856. Cousin Elbert recently sought his burial place and after much search and inquiry succeeded in finding his great grandfather’s grave in Vineyard Grove Cemetery, which at one time was on a highway, but the road being changed, it is now far off the traveled road. He found it unkept, many tall trees all about, but well fenced. Here he found many graves grouped together, which indicated that they might be graves of the Ribbles. An unmarked grave beside Joseph’s mound was thought to be that of his wife, Catherine Phillips Ribble, who was a daughter of (sic) [Conrad] Abraham Phillips, preacher and orator. Joseph’s wife was of German descent, possessing great will power and perseverance.

Abraham, mentioned above, would have been Joseph’s grandson and Elbert's great grandson. Joseph Ribble was born in 1781 according to his headstone and probably in Maryland.The first known record of Joseph Ribble is the marriage record between him and Catherine "Caty" Phillips on January 28, 1800 in Shelby County, Kentucky.

Marriage record for Joseph Rivelll (Ribble) and Catherine Phillips in Shelby County, Kentucky

In Ida’s book she states “Catherine Phillips Ribble was a daughter of Conrad Phillips, preacher and orator.  Joseph’s wife was of German descent, possessing great will power and perseverance.”  Some sources say her father is Conrad Phillips and others say just Conrad. His father was Solomon Phillips and appears to have been born in Alsace, Germany, which makes one wonder if he had a connection to Adam Ribble in the old country. Conrad Phillips fought in the revolutionary war. The Ribbles and Phillips were members of the Brethern Church. Joseph was a wheelwright, preacher, and had a grist mill.

A census for 1800 on Joseph has not been found.  Joseph and Catherine Phillips Ribble had 9 children, 3 sons and 6 daughters.  Their first four children: Nancy Ribble (1801-1868), Adam Ribble II (1805), Margaret Ribble (1808-1882), and John Ribble (1810-1856) were born in Shelby County, Kentucky.  The Joseph Ribble family and Adam Ribble family along with several of Adam's children moved across the Ohio Ribble from Shelby County Kentucky to Washington County, Indiana between 1810 and 1813. Catherine and Joseph had 6 more children in Washington County, Indiana: Sarah Ribble (1813-1820), Barbara Ribble (1816-1830), Susan Ribble (1818-1905), Jeremiah Ribble (1822-1877), and Catherine Ribble (1825-1911).

1810 census for Shelby County, Kentucky is the second record for Joseph Ribble.

1810 Census for Joseph Ribble's family - Shelby County, Kentucky

He sold land in Shelby County, Kentucky on May 30, 1815. His father, Adam I, sold his land in Shelby County, Kentucky around the same time.

By 1820, both families are living in Washington County, Indiana, probably moving there in the summer of 1815. Shelby County, Kentucky and Washington County, Indiana are not that far apart on a map. However, the Ohio River is between the two. Presumably there was a ferry crossing the river at some place. They may have had to go a little east or west to find it, but that would most likely be the way they traveled.

1830 Census for Joseph Ribble family,
Below is a breakdown of the 1830 census questions

1840 Census for Joseph Ribble's family in Washington County, Indiana,   
Below is a breakdown of the 1840 census questions.

Jeremiah or rather Jeremiah’s descendants stated that Joseph came to Texas in 1844. When Ida uses the term waggoning, she probably means freighting, which is transporting goods, generally in bulk, from point A to point B. Similar to today’s 18-wheelers going down the highway. Jeremiah’s brothers, sons and nephews had freighting jobs often during their lifetime.

Nancy appears to have been the only child of Joseph and Catherine to stay in Indiana. It seems that the others came to Texas at the same time or soon thereafter. Traveling to Texas was Joseph and Catherine: their son, Adam II, his wife and child, their second daughter, Margaret, her husband and 2 children, their second son, John, his wife, and 3 children, their daughter, Susan, son, Jeremiah, and daughter, Catherine. 17 people in all moved to Texas. It is no wonder that Jeremiah had to make three trips to move them all down. Lost to history is the type of boat, although the above passage would make one think they used flat boats. They must have been moving a lot of their provisions. It is feasible that some came by steamboat down the Mississippi River and their provisions came by flat boats.

Living in the central southeastern part of Indiana, it is likely that they traveled to the Ohio River, boarded a boat, then traveled southwest on the Ohio River until the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois.

The trip down the Mississippi River from Indiana to Texas. Adam is probably buried in Indiana.
Confluence of Mississippi and Ohio River Wikipedia  

They would just need to continue following the Mississippi River to New Orleans. Jeremiah probably brought provisions and such down the river using a flat boat. Adam II and John more than likely assisted their brother.

Clarksville was south of the river and there were local people or scouts that would take people to Clarksville.

They could have used that route. It would have been faster. With Jeremiah and probably his brothers making 3 trips to Indiana and back, they would have wanted to go the fastest way. 

They settled at Clarksville, Texas in Red River County, which is in the northeast corner of Texas.  Joseph and his sons seems to have had several occupations according to the census records and Ida Duckworth’s book. Wheelwright, preacher, logger just to name a few. This was undoubtedly good knowledge to possess traveling from New Orleans to Texas. If or when something broke on the wagon they could repair it. It is not known if this was part of the provisions that Jeremiah was having to move down from Indiana or if they bought a wagon or several wagons in New Orleans or Jefferson, Texas.

The Ribbles lived in Clarksville for 3 or 4 years when some decided to move to Honey Grove. Margaret and her family stayed in the Clarksville area. Then in 1855 Jeremiah wanted to go to Iowa and John went west toward Ft. Belknap and the Brazos Indian Reservation.  Susan, Catherine, and their families stayed in the Honey Grove area. Although Ida states that Joseph wanted to go to Iowa he didn’t. In 1855, John started building a double log cabin on Rock Creek close to the Indian Reservation.   He completed it in 1856 and went back to Honey Grove to get his wife and 8 children.  After he got them settled, he returned to Honey Grove to get his father, Joseph, and move him to Rock Creek. He took his oldest son, Edward. When he arrived he found his father sick with typhoid fever. He helped nurse him and contracted the disease himself. Joseph died on August 7, 1856 and John died on August 25, 1856. They are buried next to each other in Vineyard Grove Cemetery outside Honey Grove.

Edward’s aunts and uncles thought he was too young to safely drive the wagon back himself. His uncle, Dr. Gambill, Susan’s husband, drove him back to his mother on Rock Creek.

Jeremiah and his wife, Martha Holmes, and their 9 children had a rough time in Iowa.  They lost 2 children in 1855 and then in 1861 Jeremiah lost his wife and 2 more children. It is thought that at least part of them died from whooping cough. Jeremiah came back to Texas and settled in Lamar County in northeast Texas. He remarried and had 5 more children.

In the Northern Standard Abstracts from the Northern Standard and the Red River District [Texas]: August 26, 1848-December 20, 1851, Joseph has an advertisement for:

Wagons  "Wagon making and repairing" by Joseph H. Ribble at his shop in Clarksville in the rear of the old Blacksmith shop, nearly  opposite opposite the Clarksville Hotel. He is prepare[ed] to do any sort of wagon work, either making or repairing in as good a style as any workman in this state. He will guaranty the reliability of all work done in his shop.

The 1850 census shows him living with his daughter Catherine Ribble Fuqua; her husband, Joshua Fuqua; and their baby, Mary. The census says that he is 73 years old, making him born in 1777, and states that he was born in Maryland. Joseph's headstone states that he was born in 1781. The headstone is probably more accurate than the census record making Joseph closer to 69 than 73. The Daughters of the American Revolution has Joseph born in 1781.

The 1850 census was the first one that listed all household members names, ages, and where they were born. Joshua probably answered the census questions for the entire family and was guessing at the answers. Joseph’s wife, Catherine, is missing from the census. Therefore, she probably died after the move to Texas between 1845 and 1850. The 1850 census misspelled   Catherine's name, yet it is not very clearly written on the census. It shows her being born in Alabama. That is incorrect. She was born in Washington County, Indiana.

The 1850 census lists Joshua Fugua, Joseph son in law, as head of household and Catherine, Joseph's daughter as his wife. Mary is their 7 month daughter and then Joseph at age 73. Joseph's wife, Catherine Phillips Ribble, is not mentioned, therefore, the assumption is made that she passed away before December of 1850 before the census was taken.

Joseph Rible (Ribble) and John Rible (Ribble)'s headstones, which are next to each other in Vineyard Grove Cemetery close to Honey Grove, Texas in Fannin County. It is thought that John's mother, Catherine's gravesite is close to Joseph's. No marker just a pile of rocks.

John Ribble's knife

Joseph Ribble made a knife for his son, John. John took it with him when he moved to Rock Creek. One of his descendants has it today.