Newcomerstown is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

Tuscarawas County, Ohio Tuscarawas County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,263. Its county seat is New Philadelphia. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "o ...

, United States, east-northeast of Columbus. In the late 1770s, this was the largest

Delaware Indian The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

village on the

Tuscarawas River The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining a ...

, with 700 residents. Chief

Newcomer Newcomer may refer to: * Newcomer (surname) * Newcomer (Lenape), chief of the western Lenape and founder of Newcomerstown, Ohio * Newcomer, Missouri, a community in the United States * Novichok agent, ''Novichok'' meaning 'Newcomer' in Russian ...

(''Netawatwes'') was the leader of the western Delawares here, and they called the village ''Gekelmukpechunk''. Early French traders and English settlers named the village Newcomerstown after the chief. Soon after the start of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the Delawares moved west to Coshocton, about halfway through what is now the next county.

Name

The name comes from a Lenape (Delaware) village established in the 1760s by

Netawatwees Netawatwees or King Newcomer (c. 1686–1776, Lenape) was Sachem (principle Chief) and spiritual leader of the Delaware. His name, meaning "skilled advisor" or "first in council," is spelled in a variety of ways including Netaut Twelement, Na-tau ...

(c. 1686-1776), also known as Newcomer. Newcomer migrated to the area from

Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 51,114. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb of the Akron metropol ...

with his band of Lenape Indians. The Lenape name of the town was ''Gekelukpechink'', meaning "still water." The town was used as a meeting place for the Iroquois Great Council, and English and American traders called it Newcomer's town. By 1771, more than one hundred dwellings had been built. In 1776, more than seven hundred Lenape and several traders lived in the town.

Population in 1900 and 2010

In 1900, 2,659 people lived in Newcomerstown; in 1910, 2,943. The population was 3,822 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Newcomerstown is located at (40.274350, -81.602482), along the

. DeLorme (1991). ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 3,822 people, 1,598 households, and 982 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 1,598 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the village was 40.3 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,008 people, 1,654 households, and 1,063 families living in the village. The

was 1,619.7 people per square mile (626.5/km). There were 1,817 housing units at an average density of 734.3 per square mile (284.0/km). The racial makeup of the village was 95.83%

, 2.57%

, 0.25% Native American, 0.07%

, 0.20% from

, and 1.07% from two or more races.

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $15,946. About 12.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer. Early life Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan and was raised in New Philadelp ...

, theatrical and industrial designer *

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951 ...

, legendary

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium i ...

coach *

Frank LaPorte Frank Breyfogle Laporte (February 6, 1880 – September 25, 1939) was an American baseball player. Biography Born in Uhrichsville, Ohio, he began his major league career with the New York Highlanders (present day New York Yankees) in 190 ...

, Major League Baseball infielder * Chief

(''Netawatwes''), western Delaware chief *

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

, Hall of Fame

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

, honored by

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

's annual Cy Young Award

References

External links

Village website

Newcomerstown Exempted Village Schools

Newcomerstown Public Library

Newcomerstown Historical Society
{{authority control Villages in Tuscarawas County, Ohio Villages in Ohio English-American culture in Ohio