Weare was born on March 9, 1737, to Captain Peter Weare (1695–1743) and Sarah Felt (1701–1768). His father drowned while attempting to cross the Royal River when Joseph was six years old; his mother lived for a further twenty-five years.Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine 1636-1936: A History, William Hutchinson Rowe (1937)
