Notable Nesbitts/Nisbets

Distinguished Members of the Nesbitt/Nisbet Clan

Murdoch Nisbet, of Hardhill, born circa 1470 in the parish of Loudon and shire of Ayr, joined the Lollards, the first name given to the British Protestants and translated Purvey's Revision of Wycliffe's New Testament into Scots. The original text was found and purchased in 1889-90 by "Text Society of Edinburgh." Experts consider it very valuable as it maybe the purest form of Gaelic found to date.

Captain John Nesbit, born 1627, "Hero of Drumclog", After the battle of Bothwell Brig, he was denounced as a rebel and a price put on his head. He fled to the hills. His goods and gear was taken by the King and his wife and daughter were killed. Hearing the news, Capt John returned to avenge their death, but was captured and hanged in Glasgow in December of 1685.

Alexander Nisbet (1657-1725), heraldic writer, studied at Edinburgh University in 1675, and then became a private student of heraldry, making a living as a writer in Edinburgh. Nisbet's historical significance lies partly in his manuals on Scottish heraldry, but mainly on his comprehensive survey of the heraldry of Scottish families, A System of Heraldry, Speculative and Practical: With the True Art of Blazon. This remains much cited, in part because Nisbet took a clear-headed view of heraldic practice, and partly because the book is a record of arms and family papers long since lost.

Charles Nisbet

Rev. Dr. Charles Nesbit (1736-1804) studied theology at Divinity Hall. Active, studious, and blessed with a remarkable memory, Nisbet could speak nine languages, and developed a high reputation in Scotland for scholarship. He became a member of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and was outspoken in his defense of strict Calvinism. He was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from Princeton University in 1783; it was Nisbet who had recommended fellow scotsman John Witherspoon for that institution's presidency. He become the first president of Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA in 1783, and he did the noble honor of officiating the marriage of the Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration of Independance. He died January 18, 1804.

John Maxwell Nesbitt

John Maxwell Nesbitt, born about 1730 Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland, was the son of Jonathan Nesbitt. He came to America in 1747 and was apprenticed to learn the shipping trade in Philadelphia. In 1756 he formed a partnership in the shipping firm "Conyngham and Nesbitt" where he later became president. He held many offices in social and businesses of early Philadelphia: President of the Insurance Co. of North America, Board of Directors of The Bank of North America, Warden of the Port of Philadelphia, Paymaster of the State Navy, Founding member of the Hibernian Society of Philadelphia, V.P. of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and others. John Maxwell Nesbitt died in 1802, unmarried, and leaving most of his fortune to his business partners at Conyngham and Nesbitt.

Famous Nesbitt/Nisbets

Mary Nisbet

Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin, born April 18,1778, Dirleton - died July 9, 1855 was the first wife of British diplomat Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin during his term as Ambassador Extraodinare to the Ottoman Empire and one of the most influential and wealthiest heiresses of the late 18th and early 19th century. As the niece of the 3rd Duke of Rutland (who was one of the few individuals invited to witness the birth of the future George IV of the United Kingdom) and first cousin to the current 4th Duke of Rutland, Mary Manners travelled in the very highest of social circles. William Nisbet was a member of the small group of people who controlled the vasts amounts of land in Scotland. Mary Nisbet is one of the central characters in Karen Essex's novel, Stealing Athena (2008).

Evelyn Nesbit

Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884 - January 17, 1967) born in Tarentum, a small village near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the artists' model and chorus girl who was at the heart of what at the time was known as the Crime of the Century. Her abusive husband, Pittsburgh millionaire Harry Thaw, murdered 52-year old architect and socialite Stanford White who had taken advantage of a sixteen-year old Evelyn and subsequently become her lover a couple of years before Thaw and she married. The book Ragtime and the musical of the same name revolve around this "Crime of the Century."

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 - 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally published in 1906. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 film version is the best known. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Party. You can download several of E. Nesbit's works as eBooks in the literature section.

Cathleen Nesbitt

Cathleen Nesbitt (November 24, 1888 - August 2, 1982) was an English stage and film actress. Her debut on the London stage was in the revival of Arthur Wing Pinero's The Cabinet Minister (1910). In 1911, Nesbitt joined the Irish Players, went to the United States and debuted on Broadway in The Well of the Saints. For the next several decades, she was featured in a number of Broadway plays and films over the course of her career, which spanned over eighty years. She may be best-remembered by Americans for her role as Agatha Morley on the TV series The Farmer's Daughter from 1963 to 1966, playing the mother of a Congressman (played by William Windom).

Christine Nesbitt

Christine Nesbitt (born 17 May 1985, in Melbourne, Australia) is a Canadian long track speed skater who currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. Her personal best in the 1000m is the second fastest of all time, right after Cindy Klassen's world record. Nesbitt won the Gold Medal in the 1000 m event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. She had previously won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Christine was selected 2010 Female Athlete of the Year by both the Postmedia Network Inc. writers, columnists and editors across the country and by the True Sport Foundation (Canadian Sport Awards), thus receiving The Velma Springstead Award.

Kenn Nesbitt

Kenn Nesbitt (born February 20, 1962 in Berkeley, CA) is a writer of humorous poetry for children, including the books My Hippo Has the Hiccups and Revenge of the Lunch Ladies. Kenn Nesbitt has collaborated with poet Linda Knaus on one collection of Christmas poems entitled Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney and with children's musician Eric Herman on several CDs. His poems also appear in numerous anthologies of humorous children's poetry. Nesbitt's writing often includes imagery of outrageous happenings, before ending on a realistic note. Being children's poems, many make fun of school life.

James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt (born January 15 1965) is a Northern Irish actor who has appeared in many television and film roles. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. Nesbitt got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama Cold Feet (1998-2003), which won him a British Comedy Award, a Television and Radio Industries Club Award, and a National Television Award. He has been nominated for over 20 acting awards, as well as three different academic honors for his contributions to drama.

Máiréad Nesbitt

Máiréad Nesbitt (born in Loughmore, County Tipperary, Ireland) is a Classical and Celtic music performer, most notably as a fiddler and violinist. Nesbitt got her break in 1996 when she was invited to perform in the Michael Flatley show Lord of the Dance. There, she played lead fiddle until 1998, at which time she went with Flatley to his second show, Feet of Flames. She toured in this production, again as lead fiddler, until leaving in 2001. Nesbitt also played on the original soundtracks to both shows, as well as for the soundtrack to Riverdance. She is currently the fiddler for the group Celtic Woman.

Bryan Nesbitt

Bryan Nesbitt (born January 24, 1969 in Phoenix, AZ) Bryan Nesbitt is an automobile designer and currently head of General Motors Corporation International Operations Design, based in Shanghai, China. Nesbitt is also brand chairman for Wuling and Baojun, two automakers with which G.M. joint ventures. Previously Nesbitt had held the position of GM's North American Exterior Design and Global Architecture Strategy and had been a designer with Chrysler. Several of his more prominent styling contributions have been to the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the similarly retro Chevrolet HHR, the seventh generation Chevrolet Malibu and the 1997 Chrysler CCV, which had been conceived as a Chinese people's car with bodywork constructed of recycled plastic bottles.

Aric Nesbitt

Aric Nesbitt (born January 25, 1980) represents the 66th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. He was elected in November 2010 and serves as the House Majority Floor Leader and Chair of the House Committee on Energy. The 66th House District includes Van Buren County, city of Parchment, Cooper Township, and Alamo Township in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. He is a member of the Republican Party and resides south of Lawton, Michigan. Nesbitt graduated from Lawton High School in 1998, the same school his father and grandfather graduated from. He earned a B.A. in Economics from Hillsdale College December 2001 and later earned his Masters in International Business from Norwegian School of Economics, NHH.

Nina Nesbitt

Nina Nesbitt (born 11 July 1994) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician, best known for her single, "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, becoming her first top 40 single. Her debut single, "Boy", from the EP of the same name, was released in 2012 and peaked at No. 139 in the UK Singles Chart. Her second EP, The Apple Tree, was released in April 2012 and peaked at No. 6 on the iTunes download charts after receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1, and also peaked at the top of the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.