Newcomerstown, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Newcomerstown is a village in Tuscarawas County
, Ohio
, United States
, 85 miles (136.8 km) east-northeast of Columbus
. In the late 1770s, this was the largest Lenape
village on the Tuscarawas River
, with 700 residents. Chief Newcomer
(Netawatwes) was the leader of the western Lenape
here, and they called the village Gekelmukpechunk. Early European-American traders and settlers named the village Newcomerstown after the chief. Soon after the start of the American Revolutionary War
, the Lenape moved west to Coshocton, Ohio
.
According to some accounts, Newcomerstown was named after an incident that occurred between a Lenape chief and his wife, Mary Harris. The chief, Eagle Feather grew tired of his wife and abducted a younger squaw and attempted to assimilate her into the same wigwam as Harris. Harris allegedly killed Chief Eagle Feather and told the warriors of the village that the young squaw ran away. The warriors hunted her down and killed her. The settlement was thenceforth known as "Newcomerstown," after the squaw.
In 1900, 2,659 people lived in Newcomerstown; in 1910, 2,943. The population was 4,008 at the 2000 census
.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (2.36%) is water.
of 2000, there were 4,008 people, 1,654 households, and 1,063 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,619.7 people per square mile (626.5/km²). There were 1,817 housing units at an average density of 734.3 per square mile (284.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.83% White, 2.57% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.20% from other races
, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 1,654 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $27,414, and the median income for a family was $34,464. Males had a median income of $26,703 versus $18,375 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $15,946. About 12.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Tuscarawas County is a county located in the eastern part of the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 92,582. Its county seat is New Philadelphia...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 85 miles (136.8 km) east-northeast of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. In the late 1770s, this was the largest Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
village on the Tuscarawas River
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...
, with 700 residents. Chief Newcomer
Newcomer (Lenape)
Lenape was the chief of the western Lenape people. He founded the village of Newcomerstown, Ohio and the other village of Coshocton, Ohio....
(Netawatwes) was the leader of the western Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
here, and they called the village Gekelmukpechunk. Early European-American traders and settlers named the village Newcomerstown after the chief. Soon after the start of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the Lenape moved west to Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
.
According to some accounts, Newcomerstown was named after an incident that occurred between a Lenape chief and his wife, Mary Harris. The chief, Eagle Feather grew tired of his wife and abducted a younger squaw and attempted to assimilate her into the same wigwam as Harris. Harris allegedly killed Chief Eagle Feather and told the warriors of the village that the young squaw ran away. The warriors hunted her down and killed her. The settlement was thenceforth known as "Newcomerstown," after the squaw.
In 1900, 2,659 people lived in Newcomerstown; in 1910, 2,943. The population was 4,008 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Newcomerstown is located at 40°16′28"N 81°36′9"W (40.274350, -81.602482), along the Tuscarawas RiverTuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (2.36%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,008 people, 1,654 households, and 1,063 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,619.7 people per square mile (626.5/km²). There were 1,817 housing units at an average density of 734.3 per square mile (284.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.83% White, 2.57% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.20% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 1,654 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $27,414, and the median income for a family was $34,464. Males had a median income of $26,703 versus $18,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $15,946. About 12.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- Woody HayesWoody HayesWayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
- coachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, known for coaching the Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State BuckeyesThe Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
football team - Chief NewcomerNewcomer (Lenape)Lenape was the chief of the western Lenape people. He founded the village of Newcomerstown, Ohio and the other village of Coshocton, Ohio....
(Netawatwes), western LenapeLenapeThe Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
chief of Gekelmukpechunk, the settlement later called Newcomerstown after him, and founder of the principal village of Coshocton, OhioCoshocton, OhioCoshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
. - Cy YoungCy YoungDenton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
- famous pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who is honored by baseball'sBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
Cy Young AwardCy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...