Ralph M. Joiner was born on March 14, 1914. He graduated from Sycamore High School in 1932 and married Bertha Cain on August 24, 1935.

During his life, Ralph worked at Ideal Industries, Turner Brass, and then became deputy county clerk under his father, Earle Joiner. He was elected DeKalb County Clerk in 1954 and held that post until retiring on January 31, 1975. 

Ralph was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of Sycamore as an active and faithful member. Ralph served as a deacon, elder, benevolent treasurer, teacher, and choir member.

During his tenure as County Clerk, Ralph and his wife Bertha (chief deputy) realized that their office's myriad of records and documents had extreme value to the community. During their service between 1956 and 1976, they would mark "save" on the boxes containing the records. It was his dream that the old records and other memorabilia scattered throughout the courthouse could find a new, permanent home. In 1989, the first official public archives for DeKalb County opened. The location was named the Joiner History Room in dedication to Ralph and his wife, Bertha, to recognize their efforts in preserving the County's historical documents. In 1998, the Joiner History Room had outgrown its space and agreed to utilize an area in the Sycamore Public Library. The County archives moved once again in 2019; it became a permanent part of the new DeKalb County History Center and their newly renovated facility located in Sycamore.

In 2008, the Joiner History Room Endowment Fund was started at the DeKalb County Community Foundation with a contribution from Patsy and Bill Lundberg to honor their mother, Phyllis, the first DeKalb County Historian for the Joiner History Room. It was also in 2008 that Ralph M. Joiner passed away. The Fund accepted memorial gifts from other donors who wanted to honor Ralph's memory and show appreciation for the History Room's services to DeKalb County. The legacy of Ralph and Bertha Joiner lives on through the workings of the Joiner History Room and the Joiner History Room Endowment Fund.