In 1810, Benezette was part of Gibson Township, Clearfield County.[1] In the 1810 census, there were 870 people in 143 households. The census included only the names of the head of each family; everyone else was tallied in categories by age and sex. Only one woman, Isabella Jordan, was identified as a head of family; all others were male.

The population was overwhelmingly “free” and “white” (835 of 870 individuals). There were 35 individuals classified as “free, except Indians.”

The number of males (51.9%) was slightly higher than females (48.1%). The cohort of children under the age of 10 by far outnumbered all others, accounting for 38.3% of the entire population. Not surprisingly, the fewest people were in the oldest cohort of people over age 45 (11.4%). Males outnumbered females in each cohort except one, 10-16 year olds.[2] Most households were composed of at least one individual from each cohort.

The average household had six individuals; the largest household had 14 members (Martin Hoover). Eighteen households had 10 or more members (surnames: Ardrey, Bailey, Boon, Ferguson, Gallagher, Gass, Graham, Heney, Hoover, Irvine, Jordan, McClure, Owens, Patterson, Shaw, Shimmel). James Woodside was the only single-person household.

Specific locations were not provided for the households, but the census taker (“marshall”) moved from house to house, so it is likely that people listed next to each other were neighbors. It is likely that Levi Hicks, Andrew Overturf and Abraham Lenard were likely living in the area of Benezette.

From the History of Elk[3] . . . :

“The resident tax-payers of Gibson township (later part of Benezette township, 1846), in 1814, were John Brooks (surveyor), Washington Brooks, Aaron Bailey, Nathaniel Bailey (tannery), Benjamin Blossom, Saul Ellis, James and William Barr, Wintel Bartholomew (farmers), James Bateman (hunter). Jacob Coleman, (postmaster and grist-mill owner), John Coleman and Washington Coleman (saw-mill owners), Philip Chambers (saw-mill), Samuel Conway (blacksmith), William Boyer, Thomas Dent (saw-mill owner), Andrew Dent, Thomas Dent, Jr., William Dent and Michael Frisbey (sawyers), James. David and John English (farmers), John C. and John S. Hicks, George Hillingsworth, Jesse Hall, Joshua Jewells (carpenter), William E. and Giles Jordan, Ralph Johnson (saw-mill owner), Theodore, M. D., William and Benjamin Johnson, Amos Kingsley, William Lane (blacksmith). Harrison and Archie Logue, Henry Lashbaugh (or Lorshbaugh), James, Henry, John and William Mason, Joseph Mason (saw-mill owner), Joe Mason (shoemaker), John Murray, William Montgomery, James Mix, (saw- and grist-mill owner), Hezekiah and Solomon Mix, Daniel Miller, George Mahan, Thomas, James and Andrew Overturf (farmers), Joseph, Robert and Joseph, Jr., Ritchie, John Stormfelder (tinner), Edward C. Schultz, Michael Spangler, Henry Shafer, Henry Stuttle, William Shepperd, Henry Strump, John Swartz, John Shafe; George, Daniel, John, Samuel, Sylvester, Isaac, Benjamin [Smith] and Jacob Smith, Mears Sarver, James Wiley, Cyrenius E. and William Wykoff. James Yards' lands, represented by George Mead, covered a large area of this township small owners claiming the balance. The resident tax-payers of Huston township or rather of that part of it belonging to Elk county in 1844, were Isaac Bliss, Isaac Coleman, Henry Gross, James Tyler, John and William Macomber, Leonard Morey, Jr. (saw-mill); Morris and Charles Webb (saw- and grist-mill owners) and Hiram Decker.”[4]

The federal Manufacturing Census was organized by county so it gives us an idea of what was available as people moved into this area.

1810 Manufacturing Census – Clearfield County (pages 44-75)[5]

1810 Manufacturing Census – Jefferson County (pages 44-75) (Coxe 1814)

Most of Elk County was within Clearfield and Jefferson counties in 1810. The economies of both counties represent nascent farming populations with only the essential manufacturing establishments – wheat mills and saw mills, and not many of them.

There are three wheat mills in Clearfield that processed 9000 bushels valued at $9000. There are none in Jefferson.

There are three blacksmith shops in Clearfield, valued at $1500, but none in Jefferson.

There are seven saw mills in Clearfield that produced 700,000 [board] feet, valued at $3500. There are four saw mills in Jefferson that produced 80,000 [board] feet, valued at $420.

Textiles are being produced by hand in the home – there are no fulling or carding mills but there are hand cards, spinning wheels and looms in each county. Sheep are present in both counties, but they are identified only as “common sheep” not merino or Tunis mountain (broad tailed) sheep. Woolen cloth is being produced in Jefferson but not in Clearfield. Cotton goods are being produced in Clearfield but not Jefferson. Flax goods (linen) are being produced in both. Perhaps the “mixed and hempen but mostly mixed” produced in Clearfield is a version of linsey-woolsey.

Tench Coxe was hired to prepare this report by Congress and submitted it to Albert Gallatin. In accepting the report (letter is included in the front matter of the report), Gallatin wrote (letter dated December 8, 1812):

“It is considered as a very interesting and fundamental truth, that manufactures facilitate the first struggles of the American settlers, for decent comforts, thrifty profits and farming establishments. For the purpose of effectually testing the correctness of this allegation, two measures have been adopted. The first of these measures is an examination into the state of manufactures in four several sparsely settled districts of our country, which in 1810, had been recently laid out, according to the nature of the places, for future establishments as counties. The inconsiderable population, within these four intended counties, exhibits the infantine condition of their respective settlements in that year.

A note of the persons of both sexes, within four of the districts in Pennsylvania, intended to be organized as counties, when sufficiently populated; and of the stock of animals, producing materials for manufactures, with the implements &c. for the operations of manufactures, and the good made in 1810, so far as they are returned by the marshal’s assistants.

In these new and widely scattered settlements, where foreign consumers have no agents the presence of flax and of sheep and cattle, supplying wool, hides, skins, horns, and tallow, with other materials for manufacturers; that is to say, the presence of the raw materials occasions the corresponding manufactures. In such places, profit, comfort and necessity appear to invite, or rather to compel the farmers and their families to that mode of industry. The returns of the assistant officers, necessarily defective in this first experiment, must be extremely imperfect in settlements so widely separated. Carriage makers, blacksmiths, hatters, shoemakers, tailors, domestic makers of garments and other manufacturers, known to exist among recent improvers, and in old establishments, are omitted, or did not appear to the officers. Boards, pot-ashes and maple-sugar are also omitted by the marshal or his assistants. It is observed that the surplus industry of these new settlements is applied to the manufacture of cotton from the Atlantic, Ohio, and Mississippi.” (Footnote: Cotton was transported from Pittsburgh even to Massachusetts, in the spring of 1814.)

[1] (Bureau of the Census n.d.)

[2] The five cohorts for this census were defined as 0-10, 10-16, 16-26, 26-45, 45+.

[3] Leeson 1890.

[4] Leeson 1890.

[5] Coxe 1814.