A bit late, but to add to your thread. J. Sloat shows up in the 1830 Ashtabula OH census and Jonas Sloat shows up in the 1820 Ashtabula OH census. Presumably the same individual. There is also a Silas and David Sloat, which may or may not be Jonas or J. Sloat's sons as Silas was born about 1819 or 1820 in Morgan OH. David and Maria Sloat were witnesses to the marriage of Silas and Orrilla (various other spellings of Orrilla exist in family records) on April 20, 1843 (according to his family bible). David and Maria were married not too much prior to that time so he is very likely a sibling of Silas. The Marriage was performed in Hartsgrove, OH which is where Orrilla is listed as being from. Silas was listed as being from Rock Creek, OH. Silas' son's operated a wagon/blacksmith shop in Rock Creek, OH subsequently. I have no way of knowing where J. Sloat was born but the according to family lore Silas was descended from the Slot/Sloot/Sloat family that settled in New Amsterdam and had a farm on Manhattan. Silas had several sons, Charles M, John, Wilbur and twins Edgar and Edmund.