Joseph Amis Aycock was born to Richard M. Aycock and Ann Amis on September 30, 1852, the youngest of twelve children. After living in Walker County, Georgia for several years, the family relocated to Texas. On the way, however, Richard Aycock died leaving his wife alone with the children. The family returned to Georgia, but when Joseph was fourteen years old his mother also died. (This leaves a question as to who “Ma” is in his correspondence. It is possible that this “Ma” may be one of his grandmothers.) After the deaths of both his parents, Joseph went and lived with his maternal uncle, Joseph Amis and his wife Elizabeth Price in Coweta County.

Later, Aycock attended the University of Georgia. While there he excelled academically and won a gold medal for his mastery of Latin. Joseph graduated from the university in 1879 with high honors. Shortly after graduating from college, Aycock moved into the home of his brother, William Carey Aycock in Whitesburg, Georgia. In 1882 Aycock married Mary Elizabeth Thomas, daughter of Wesley Wailes Thomas and Ann Eliza Stokes. They had nine children: Richard Wailes, Annie Mary, Hattie Pope, Samuel Max, William Lloyd, Joseph Amis Jr., Mary E., Thomas Jack, and Nelle Bryant.

At the time of his marriage Aycock worked alongside his brothers in a lumber business located in Whitesburg. He also worked for a newspaper company holding positions in Galveston, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. At one point, Joseph also established a saw mill in Whitesburg and in Douglas County. In 1891, the J. A. Aycock family moved to Carrollton, establishing a cotton gin on Maple Street. In 1898, Joseph partnered with L. C. Mandeville to found the Mandeville Cotton and Oil Mills. After its founding, Aycock served as Vice President and Manager of Mandeville Mills until his death in 1910.

Aycock also served as a state legislator, helped found the A&M School in Carrollton, a member of the local city council and the Board of Education. He died on February 2, 1910.

Joseph A. Aycock, Jr. was born to J. A. Aycock and Mary Elizabeth Thomas on March 8, 1891. In 1914, Joseph married Mayne Archer. They had two children: a son names Joseph Amis who died while young and a daughter named Jean. Like his father, Joseph worked at Mandeville Mills. After the Second World War, Aycock Jr. purchased cotton gins and consolidated them with the Mandeville Oil Mill to establish Aycock Gin, Inc. Aycock Jr. remained in Carrollton, dying on July 6, 1975.