U.S. Census for 1830.
The two early settlers known to be living in the Saranac Lake area at the time of the 1830 Census were Jacob Smith Moody and Capt. Pliny Miller.
In the 1830 Census, the families of these two men are found under the jurisdiction of Wilmington Township, Essex County, NY. Five pages' worth of families are listed for Wilmington, and there are no clues as to where in or around Wilmington the various families lived. In the case of the Moody and Miller entries, they were most likely in the area now considered Saranac Lake. The relevant families found in Wilmington Township are:
Jacob S. Moody - 12 people in household
Plinny (Pliny) Miller - 6 people in household
Plinny (Pliny) H. Miller - 4 people in household
Other people who may have lived nearby (as they are listed between Pliny Miller and Pliny H. Miller) were Reuben Downs and Joseph Smith.
Source: Ancestry.com, 1830 U.S. Federal Census
