Thomas Nash (1730 – 1810) was an

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

fisherman who founded

Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador The Town of Branch is an incorporated community on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and had a population of 177 (as of the 2021 census). Geography It is located on St. Mary's Bay and can be accessed via Route 100 or Route ...

Settling in Calvert

Nash was born in Callan, County Kilkenny,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, and emigrated to

Calvert, Newfoundland and Labrador Calvert is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the Southern Shore region of the province. It is 72 kilometres south of the provincial capital St. John's, 7 kilometre ...

, formerly known as Capelin Bay, around 1765. He was a planter and lived in an area of Calvert known as the Point and referred to as "Nashes Plantation". The Point in Calvert Newfoundland

Local lore says that Thomas and his sons built a boat over the winter of 1765. Wintering over was not permitted in Newfoundland at that time however when discovered by the fishing admiral the following spring, instead of being punished, Thomas was given a grant of land for the entire shoreline of Calvert. Having sons of an age to assist in building a boat in 1765 would mean that Thomas must have been at least 35 years of age. This is consistent with the letters of Archbishop O'Donel who in 1789 refers to Thomas as an "old planter". Using age 55 to define "old", which is conservative by any standards, would place Thomas's birth year around 1734. It is more likely however that Thomas was closer to 60 in 1789 and therefore born around 1730. Father Patrick Power, a Roman Catholic priest and Thomas's cousin, fell into an argument with

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

James Louis O'Donel, . Power supposedly started a religious uprising in a neighboring town. After being accused of the riot, O'Donel did not allow Father Power to continue his practices as a priest. This incident made Thomas and his family relocate to what would become in

,http://www.k12.nf.ca/fatima/cultural.htm where he died.

Establishing Branch

He first moved to Mosquito Island in Placentia Bay in 1789. In the 1790s, Nash made his way to St. Mary's Bay and found great fishing grounds. It was here that Thomas Nash created a very lucrative

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Onco ...

and cod fishery. His brothers Tobias and Walter joined him in Branch soon after his fishery in Branch was established. Thomas had seven children, Walter, Thomas, Andrew, Tobias, Patrick, Nora, and Nellie. The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

religion and the Nash surname is firmly implanted in the community to this day.

References

Extra Sources

* ''Letter Book of the Colonial Secretary's Office'', vol. 3, 1759–65, P- 352, V0l- 5, 1771–74, P. 180, PANL; Newfoundland Sessions Court Records, Ferryland, 1789–94, case of Sept. 15, 1770, and case of Sept. 20, 1790, PANL; Cyril J. Byrne, ed., Gentlemen-Bishops and Faction Fighters: The Letters of Bishops O'Donel, Lambert, Scallan and Other Irish Missionaries (St. John's: Jesperson Press, 1984), pp. 62–64, 90-91; John J. Mannion, card files. *''A Place to Belong – Community Order and Everyday Space in Calvert, Newfoundland'', Gerard Pocius. *''Irish Settlements in Eastern Canada'', John J. Manion. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Thomas 1730 births 1810 deaths People from Callan, County Kilkenny People from Newfoundland (island) Settlers of Newfoundland Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony people