Daniel R. Joslin

Daniel R. Joslin, the second oldest pioneer settler in Newaygo County. He was born Sept. 1, 1816, in Madison County, N. Y., and was a son of Daniel and Martha (Jenks) Joslin. Before he was a year old his parents removed to Cohocton, Steuben Co., N. Y., where he remained until 1836. Meanwhile his brother, John J. Joslin, had located at Utica, Macomb Co., Mich., and he went there when he was 20 years old and remained a year.

In 1837 he came to Grand Haven, where he obtained employ as a sawyer and acted in that capacity two seasons, operating as a lumberman in the succeeding winters. In 1839 he went to Muskegon, where he found ready employ because of his skilled ability in the management of mill machinery. In 1843 he went to Croton, Newaygo County, where he rented a mill of Joachim & Bone, which he stocked and operated one year, shipping the products to Chicago. The next year (1844) he went to Allegan, Michigan, and after a residence of three years he went to Saugatuck and opened a grocery, which he managed one year. In 1848 he went to Manistee and engaged in his former occupation in a mill, continuing two years. In 1850 he returned to Newaygo County and purchased 320 acres of land in the township of Fremont, becoming with his family the first permanent settler in the township. He retained the ownership of the property until 1883, when he disposed of it by exchange, receiving as part payment a house and lot in what is now the village of Newaygo, where he was a resident and variously employed in different mills. He owned considerable property at Newaygo.

Mr. Joslin was married in Allegan, to Sarah A. Yeldom, a native of England, born near London, in 1826. Of eight children to them Daniel (1st) and David died young. Daniel D. was a manager of Squier's Mills, located six miles south of Newaygo, Ellis was the wife of James Odell, druggist at Fremont, Franklin lived at Newaygo, Fleety A. was the second daughter, Fremont Jackson was the first white child born in Fremont Township and was named there for, the town having been named a few days before his birth and Byron was a job printer at Newaygo. The Mrs. Joslin died Dec. 2, 1860.

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