History of Newark, (Licking County) Ohio United States of America

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Local History Notes:

NEWARK, a handsome and flourishing town in Newark township, and capital of Licking co., Ohio, is situated at the confluence of the three forks of Licking river, and on the Ohio canal, 37 miles E. from Columbus, and 24 miles W. by N. from Zanesville. A railroad, 117 miles long, connects the town with Sandusky city. The site of Newark is level, the streets are wide, and the houses are well built. It is surrounded by a fertile and populous country, and has an active trade. Newark contains 10 churches, 3 newspaper offices, 2 academies, 2 banks, and several factories, and flour mills. This place at present is the southern terminus of the Sandusky, Mansfield, and Newark railroad, which is to be extended to Portsmouth, on the Ohio river. The Central Ohio railroad, when finished, will connect it with Columbus on one hand, and Wheeling on the other. Quarries of sandstone are found in the vicinity, and there is a large mine of cannel coal 8 miles S. E. from the town. Laid out in 1801. Pop., in 1850, 3654; in 1853, about 5000.

Biographies:

Charles Robert Woods, soldier, was born in Newark, Ohio, Feb. 19, 1827; son of Ezekiel Woods. He was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1852, and assigned to the 1st U.S. infantry; promoted 2d lieutenant, July 31, 1852; transferred to the 9th infantry, March 3, 1855, and promoted 1st lieutenant, Oct. 16, 1855. His regiment was in Texas and on the Pacific coast until 1860, when He was detached, for recruiting service in New York. He was promoted captain, April 1, 1861, and in the same month placed in command of the troops sent in the Star of the West to the relief of Fort Sumter. He was with Generals Patterson and Banks in the Shenandoah Valley, April-August, 1861; on recruiting service in St. Louis, Mo., September-October, 1861; was made colonel of the 76th Ohio volunteers, Oct. 13, 1861, and while the regiment was being recruited by his brother, Lieut.-Col. W. B. Woods, he commanded first the 44th and subsequently the 10th Ohio volunteers, in western Virginia. October-November, 1861-62. He joined his own regiment at Newark, Ohio, in January, 1862, and was assigned to Grant's army, operating in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was present at the capture of Fort Donelson, Feb. 15-16, 1862; the battle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862; the siege of Corinth, where he commanded a brigade, May, 1862; in the expedition to Milliken's Bend, where he commanded the land forces; in the assault on Chickasaw Bluffs, Dec. 27-Jan. 3, 1862-63, where he commanded his regiment as he also did in the capture of Arkansas Post, Jan. 11, 1863, and in the Vicksburg campaign, where he commanded a brigade. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, U.S.A., July 4, 1863, for Vicksburg, commissioned brigadier-general, U.S.V., Aug. 4, 1863, and brevetted colonel, U.S.A. Nov. 24, 1863, for Chattanooga, where he commanded the 1st brigade, 1st division, 15th corps. He was promoted major of the 18th U.S. infantry, April 20, 1864, and commanded the 1st division, 15th army corps, in the Atlanta campaign, May 6, to Dec. 21, 1864, when Gen. P.J. Osterhaus was incapacitated by reason of his wounds, and the same division in the campaign of the Carolinas. He was brevetted major-general, U.S.V., Nov. 22, 1864, for continued service and for special gallantry at Griswoldville, Ga.; brigadier-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for the battle before Atlanta, Ga., and major-general, U.S.A., for the battle of Bentonville, N.C. He commanded the 1st division, 15th army corps, at Louisville, Ky., June-July, 1865; the department of Alabama, from Mobile, July, 1865-April, 1866, and the department of the South, from Macon, Ga., May-August, 1866. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel and transferred to the 33d U.S. infantry, July 28, 1866, and was mustered out of the volunteer service in September, 1866. He commanded the District of the Chattahoochee August, 1866-March, 1867; engaged on the plains in fighting the Indians; and was promoted colonel of the 2d U.S. infantry, March 23, 1874, and retired by operation of law, Dec. 15, 1874. He died at his home in Newark, Ohio, Feb. 26, 1885.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Burnham Woods, associate justice, was born in Newark, Ohio, Aug. 3, 1824: son of Ezekiel Woods. His father, a native of Kentucky, was of Scotch-Irish parentage, and his mother of New England parentage. He was a student at Western Reserve college, Hudson, Ohio, and was graduated from Yale in 1846. He was a lawyer in Newark, Ky., 1848-61; mayor of Newark, 1856; representative in the state legislature and speaker of the house, 1857-58, and in 1861 was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 76th Ohio volunteers, of which his brother, Charles Robert was colonel. He took part with his regiment in the 3d brigade, 3d division, Grant's Army of the Tennessee, at Fort Donelson and Shiloh; and commanded the regiment in the 2d brigade, 4th division, Sherman's corps, at Chickasaw Bluffs, Dec. 27, 1862-Jan. 3, 1863. At Fort Hindman, Jan. 11, 1863, he was slightly wounded. He commanded his regiment in the Vicksburg campaign, May 1-July 4, 1863; the 1st brigade, 1st division, 15th corps, in the Atlanta campaign, May-September, 1864; and the 1st brigade, Col. Charles R. Wood's 1st division, Logan's 15th corps, in the campaign of the Carolinas and the final operations of Sherman's army. He was brevetted brigadier-general of volunteers, Jan. 12, 1865, and major-general, May 31, 1865, and was mustered out of the volunteer service early in 1866, when he took up the practice of law and engaged in cotton planting in Alabama. He took an active part in the reconstruction of the state government; was chancellor of the state, 1868-69: U.S. judge of the 5th circuit, which included Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, 1869-80, and was commissioned associate justice of the U.S. supreme court, Dec. 21, 1880, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. Justice Strong. During his six years' service as associate justice. He wrote the opinion of the court, 218 cases, including Miles v. United States (1880), Davis v. Gaines (1881), United States v. Harris (1882), and Presser v. Illinois (1885). He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Western Reserve university in 1881 and from Yale in 1883. He died in Washington, D.C., May 14, 1887.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Luther Franklin McKinney, representative, was born near Newark, Ohio, April 25, 1841. He was brought up on a farm and attended and taught district schools. He served in the civil war as sergeant in the 1st Ohio cavalry, 1861-63; and was discharged on account of disability in February, 1863. He engaged in farming and teaching school in Iowa, 1865-67, and in 1867 entered the theological department of St. Lawrence university, Canton, N.Y., and was graduated in 1870. He was pastor of a Universalist church in Maine, 1870-73, and in the latter year removed to Manchester, N.H., where he became actively interested in politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for representative in the 49th congress in 1884; was elected a Democratic representative in the 50th congress, 1887-89; was defeated for the 51st, and was elected to the 52d congress, 1891-93. He was the defeated candidate for governor of New Hampshire in 1892. He was appointed by President Cleveland in 1893 envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Colombia and served throughout the administration. On his return in 1897 he removed to Bridgton, Maine, and in 1898 was nominated for representative in the 56th congress, and was defeated by Thomas B. Reed.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor