It was in the Scottish/English Borderlands that the Strathclyde-Briton people first used the ancient name Nasmith. It was a name for someone who lived in the county of Renfrew.
Early Origins of the Nasmith family
The surname Nasmith 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.
Early History of the Nasmith family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nasmith research.
Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1400 and 1552 are included under the topic Early Nasmith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Nasmith Spelling Variations
Surnames that evolved in
Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many
spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Nasmith has appeared as Naismith, Naysmith, Naesmyth, Nesmith, Nasmyth and others.
Early Notables of the Nasmith family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Nasmith Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Nasmith family to the New World and Oceana
The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many
Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against
England in the American
War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them:
Nasmith Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Clara Nasmith, aged 58, originally from Toronto, Canada, who arrived in New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Etruria" from Liverpool, England [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFWN-XY4 : 6 December 2014), Clara Nasmith, 09 Sep 1905; citing departure port Liverpool, arrival port New York, ship name Etruria, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). - Samuel Jackson Nasmith, aged 26, originally from London, who arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFFD-7T1 : 6 December 2014), Samuel Jackson Nasmith, 09 Mar 1906; citing departure port Liverpool, arrival port New York, ship name Baltic, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). - Frank Nasmith, aged 40, originally from Manchester, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Nieuw Amsterdam" from Plymouth [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J64H-KMR : 6 December 2014), Frank Nasmith, 23 Sep 1919; citing departure port Plymouth, arrival port New York, ship name Nieuw Amsterdam, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). - Henry P. Nasmith, aged 48, originally from Toronto, Canada, who arrived in New York N.Y. in 1921 aboard the ship "Fort Hamilton" from Hamilton, Bermuda [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6JR-G3D : 6 December 2014), Henry P. Nasmith, 19 May 1921; citing departure port Hamilton, Bermuda, arrival port New York N.Y., ship name Fort Hamilton, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). - Alice Lilly Nasmith, aged 42, originally from Manchester, England, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Cedric" from Queenstown, Ireland [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6LF-P6D : 6 December 2014), Alice Lilly Nasmith, 04 Mar 1921; citing departure port Queenstown, arrival port New York, ship name Cedric, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Nasmith Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- William Nasmith, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Macedon" in 1849 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The MACEDON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Macedon.htm
Contemporary Notables of the name Nasmith (post 1700)
- Charles Roy Nasmith (b. 1882), American politician, U.S. Vice & Deputy Consul General in Brussels, 1911-17; U.S. Consul in Ghent, 1918-22; Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1926; Porto Alegre, 1927-29; Marseille, 1932; Edinburgh, 1943 [7]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - David Nasmith (1799-1839), Scottish founder of The City Mission Movement in the UK, the US and in Europe
- James Nasmith (1740-1808), English clergyman, academic and antiquary
- Rear Admiral David Arthur Dunbar- Nasmith DSC, DL (1921-1997), British Royal Navy officer, Naval Secretary (1967-1970), Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland (1970–1972)
- Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar- Nasmith KCB, KCMG (1883-1965), British Royal Navy officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ted Nasmith, Canadian artist, illustrator and architectural renderer, best known as an illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien's works-The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion
- Joseph Nasmith (1850-1904), British consulting textile engineer, editor of the Textile Recorder
The Nasmith Motto
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Non arte sed marte
Motto Translation: Not by science but by war.