In 1800, Franklin's first census showed a population of 1,390. Most of the people who were not clearing isolated land were clustered in settlements at Bartlett Hollow and Leonta. On September 30, 1800, Franklin became the first post office in the country with Elias Osborn as its new postmaster. Sluman Wattles was the first settler in 1785, followed by Nathaniel Edgerton, James Follett, Alex Smith, Enos Parker, Asa Turner, and hundreds of others. The land yielded pine, beech, maple, oak, hickory, and chestnut. Lumber was carted to the Delaware and Susquehanna, where it was rafted to the cities. Large amounts of grain were harvested. As in many frontier comunities, distilleries converted the surplus into thousands of barrels of whiskey, which were shipped to Philadelphia and New York. A local market for pork developed, while cattle drovers moved their herds eastward along the newly formed Catskill and Susquehanna Turnpike. This toll road spurred trade between Catskill and Wattle's Ferry. Towns along this eighty-nine mile road grews as taverns, hotels, liveries, and other facilities developed to support the endless movement of wagons, animals, and people. The villages of Franklin and Treadwell (formerly Jug Town and Croton) prospered. Strong ties with agriculture also grew as the villages served the growing needs of farmers.