John Joslin was born in England in 1832 (died in 1923) and immigrated to Canada in 1863. He married Irish immigrant Sarah (born 1835) and settled in Clinton, Ontario (84 km north of London, Ontario). In Clinton he worked as a hotel keeper and the couple had about eight children. In the 1880s, after their children had grown, John and Sarah bought several lots of land in Virden and moved into town. When the Joslins first arrived, settlers were living in tents and planning what to build on their new land. A Rev. Finlay McLeod was giving a sermon to these settlers and John helped instantly when singing was required. The Joslins would continue to “lead the singing” and establish themselves as local characters in the community. When they settled in Virden, John would change his profession to farmer and was quite successful. He was even a member and director of the Dennis County Agricultural Society. While in Virden, John worked as a reeve and councilman and was a part of several committees to help develop the town, such as the education, printing, and the gas committee.      

 

John and Sarah were not the only Joslins to move to Virden, their son William (Bill) (born 1864) and daughter Gertrude (born 1870) moved about the same time as their parents. Bill would wed Mary and they would have four children, one being their son John Stanley Joslin (1890-1919) who would unfortunately lose his life to the Great War. William worked as a drayman (a driver of a flat-bed cart, called a dray, used to transport goods) and became the new owner of the wholesale liquor store that was originally owned by R. E. Trumbell. He was also an active member in the community, as he participated in the town council and with local sports, such as umpiring for the local baseball teams. One noteworthy community event Bill participated in was a charity hockey tournament for the Virden Hospital. The game was the “Sawbones” versus the “Other Sawbones” and teams consisted of skilled and not so skilled players. He was also part of Virden’s musical groups, such as the Virden Band, the Operatic Society and preforming in the Minstrel Show.      

 

Gertrude Joslin, another well known Joslin, married Rev. E. L. King on January 4th, 1898. They were married in St. Mary’s Anglican Church (which is still standing today) in Virden by Rev. Canon Matheson (from St. John’s, Winnipeg) and King’s groomsman was Rev. McAdams Harding (from St. Matthews, Brandon). So, the wedding had three reverends, from three different churches, from three different places in Manitoba. The Joslins, as well as King, were well known in their church of St. Mary’s where they would participate in many musical events, such as the choir and the 1887 town hall event sponsored by the church. The couple would eventually move to Toronto with their four young daughters after the death of their infant son Edward (1900-1900). Tragedy would strike the family again as King would die from a train accident while visiting England.