By 1830, Benezette Township and Elk County had not yet been formed, but the land area was covered within Gibson Township of Clearfield County. This was the first year that the census was recorded on a uniform schedule. In previous years, the enumerators recorded the required information in a ledger book or on whatever paper they had available. Only the name of the head of the household was recorded; the rest of the household was sorted by age and sex. The age categories were greatly expanded, going all the way to more than 100 years. From infancy to age 20, 5-year increments were used; after age 20, 10-year increments were used. In addition to “Free white” males and females there were also categories for “Free colored persons” and “Slaves”. These were also recorded by age and sex, but the age categories were 0-10, 10-24, 24-36, 36-55, 55-100, and more than 100 years.

As it was since 1810, the population consisted of homesteading families. There were 259 people in 44 households. Males continued to outnumber females, but the margin has slimmed to just 4 percent. Even though families still predominate, the spike in the number of males age 20-30 suggests that young men are being attracted to work in the woods. They are not, at this stage of their lives, looking to establish their own farm or business. They are wage workers but lived within what appear to be family settings. Unless they were the head of the household, we don’t know their names, but in  15 households, a man in his twenties was the oldest male.

The greatest number of individuals, 31%, are infants and children under age 10. But the population is also showing signs of aging. In previous censuses, the age categories were capped at “over 45.” The more detailed age categories in this census give us a better idea of the true age profile. In fact, there are 21 individuals (13 men and 8 women) in Gibson Township over the age of 50. The oldest person was a woman in her 90s who lived in the household of James Bateman. The oldest man was in his 80s; he lived in the household of Daniel Smith.

The average household had about 6 members. The two largest households were those of Thomas Dent and Daniel Smith, each with 12 individuals. There were no single-person households, but there were two with just two people. Hannah Hicks, the only female head of household in Gibson Township, consisted of two women, one in her forties and one in her late teen years. Age twenty-something Adam Wheeler shared his household with a female in her late teens.