The name Naesmyth was first used by the ancient Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The first Naesmyth to use this name no doubt lived in the county of Renfrew.
The surname Naesmyth was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Naesmyth research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1400 and 1552 are included under the topic Early Naesmyth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Naesmyth has been spelled Naismith, Naysmith, Naesmyth, Nesmith, Nasmyth and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Naesmyth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them: James Nesmith, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718; as well as John Nesmith, who settled in Maryland in 1747.