Josiah Starr lived in Sharon, where he was born. His wife, Eliza, was born in Massachusetts; the couple had at least five children: Emma, Lucy, George, Mary, and Robert. Although the Starrs lived in Sharon, when Josiah died in 1898, he was buried in Cornwall’s Calhoun Cemetery alongside his father, Abel C. Starr, who had been buried there in 1881.

The Starrs came to Sharon from Danbury, where Abel’s father, Robin Starr, died in 1832. Josiah’s brother, Lewis H. Starr, also enlisted from Sharon on December 10, 1863 and served in the same company. Their brother, Charles B. Starr, enlisted from Hartford three days before them and also served in Company C.