Joslin Family :: 1820 Ohio Census

As we learned in this July 1969 letter from Irwin Joslin to my Grandmother, he found only one 'Joslin' family enumerated in the 1820 census in Delaware County, Ohio and that was Jonas.

Just to be sure, I recently searched the 1820 Ohio census index at ancestry.com for "Josl*" and got nine results:

• Ezekiel Joslen is in Tate, Clermont County
• Mary Joslen in Franklin, Clermont County
• Phebe Joslen in Franklin, Clermont County
• Amasa Joslin in Kirtland, Geauga County
• J J Joslin is in Deerfield, Warren County
• Jonas Joslin in Liberty, Delaware County
• Reuben Joslin in Mesopotamia, Trumbull County
• Wm Joslin in Deerfield, Morgan County
• J Joslin in Washington, Warren County

And, searching for "Joc*" found a "Luther F B Joclin" in Cincinnati, Hamilton County.

Viewing each of the pages for Liberty and Orange townships in Delaware County confirmed that Jonas Joslin was the only 'Joslin' family enumerated in those townships. Actually, I have viewed the entire Delaware County census on microfilm, looking for other families, and there is indeed only one 'Joslin' family in the county.

The Jonas Joslin household was enumerated in Liberty Township. Jonas is the second name on page 95a. A family history published by Jean Oldham Heuman in 1998/9 states that "there were two sons and five daughters" in the Jonas Joslin family but names are known only for the two sons and two of the daughters: James, Jonas Jr., Elizabeth, and Fanny. I suspect that Mrs. Heuman may have based the number of children in the family on the 1820 census. There are potentially three additional females (one aged 10-15 and two 16-25 in 1820) in the family whose names are unknown.


Based upon what is currently known about the family, the 1820 census enumeration may have included the following:

• males under 10 = 0
• males 10 thru 15 = 1 [born 1804-1810...Jonas Jr., 17, born in 1807]
• males 16 thru 18 = 0
• males 18 thru 26 = 1 [born 1794-1804...James, 24, born about 1796]
• males 26 thru 44 = 0
• males 45 and over = 1 [born before 1775...Jonas Sr., 51, born in 1769]
• females under 10 = 0
• females 10 thru 15 = 2 [born 1805-1810...Fanny, about 10, born about 1810; and one other, name unknown]
• females 16 thru 25 = 3 [born 1794-1804...Elizabeth, 18, born in 1802; and 2 others, names unknown]
• females 26 thru 44 = 0
• females 45 and over = 1 [born before 1775...Ruth, wife of Jonas Sr., about 49, born about 1771]
• Foreigners not naturalized = 0
• Number of persons engaged in agriculture = 1