Thomas Nash (c. 1730 – 1810) was an

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

fisherman who founded

Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador The Town of Branch is an incorporated community of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and had a population of 223 (as of the 2021 census). Geography It is located on St. Mary's Bay and can be accessed via Route 100 or Route 92. Nearby commun ...

Settling in Calvert

Nash was born in

Callan, County Kilkenny Callan () is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kilkenny in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated 16 km (10 mi) south of Kilkenny on the N76 road to Clonmel, it is near the border with County Tipperary. It is ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and emigrated to Calvert, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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 member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

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

, 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 (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...

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 The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 Canadian fishermen People from Callan, County Kilkenny People from Newfoundland (island) Settlers of Newfoundland Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony people