J. Michael Joslin

J. Michael Joslin was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived in Dearborn, Michigan until the age of 12. He moved to Plymouth, Michigan and lived there until 1969. The formation of Company C of the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment took place in Plymouth, and is the basis of his book, Thank God for Michigan. The main characters of his book, Ralph and Elizabeth Terry, lived in Plymouth.

During the years he lived in Michigan, Michael was not aware of his family's connection to the history of Plymouth. It was not until years later, while researching his family ancestry, that he learned of these connections to Plymouth. When he learned about Ralph Terry having served with the 24th Michigan, the idea of writing a book about his ancestor's experiences with the 24th Michigan in the American Civil War first took shape. His interest in the Civil War was further piqued when he would frequently visit the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and often spend several minutes staring at the bloodstains on the rocking chair Abraham Lincoln had been sitting in when he was assassinated. Michael explained, "Realizing those were the actual bloodstains of Abraham Lincoln made me realize he had been a real, living person, not just a name in books and movies." This would also be the beginning of an extensive Civil War library.

J. Michael Joslin is a self-taught historian, who has an extreme love of our nation's history. Although a difficult genre, he is very interested in writing historical fiction. He presently lives in Florida.