Joel Sanders was born 1831 in Franklin County, Georgia to Nathaniel Sanders (1803-) and Frances Headen (1805-) .
Only record of Joel has him with his parents on the 1850 US Census, age 19.
He had several siblings and cousins that fought and died for Georgia in the Civil War but we don't know if he even lived that long. He does not appear in any civil war data base.
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Joel Sanders (1831-1864) | 1831 Franklin County, Georgia | ||
| Moses Hamilton Sanders (1833-1864) | 1833 Franklin County, Georgia | 1864 Civil War Hospital, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia | Rhoda Maxwell (1835-) |
| William J Sanders (1835-) | 1835 Banks County, Georgia | ||
| Welborn Minyard Sanders (1837-) | |||
| Sarah Frances Sanders (1841-) | |||
| Matthew C Sanders (1843-1863) | 1843 Franklin County, Georgia | 1863 Mississippi | |
| Macajah Sanders (1846-) | |||
| Asbury Sanders (1847-) | |||
| Louisa Sanders (1849-) | |||
| Wiley Chambers Sanders (1852-) | |||