Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-05-31
Prize Winning Essay
By Miss Wanda Veasey

The following, written by
Miss Wanda Veasey, appeared II
the April number of The Me
teor, the High school publica.
tiona
This composition earned the
prize offered by the Eastern
Shore Society of Baltimore, fol
the best essay written on the
Eastern Shore from the time OF
the Revolution of 1776 to the
War of 1872:
Charming lands, like charm.
ing women excite enthusiastic
love and loyalty" and surely OF
all the charming spots Of our
Country, not any is more fasci-
mating than the County of Wor-
cester. Even strangers who Wis
it us declare the Eastern Shore
glorious! And the answering
and loyalty of it's native sons
and daughters perhaps make it
better known than any other
one thing.
It has been truly called "The
Land of the Evergreens." Any
one who has ever visited the
County knows, of it's majestic
forests of pine and cedar-its
holly, mistletoe and evergreen
trees-its rivers winding their
way in and out, flowing silently
onward, bounded on one side by
the magnificent forests, and on
the other by beautiful old home
steads whose lawns slope down
to their banks.
And best of all Worcester
county can boast of many cele-
brities whose lives were closely
associated with the building up
and the furthering of the
growth of that land. Perhaps
one of the best known, and one
whose name is always associat-
ed with that Of the Eastern
Shore is Rev. Samuel McMaster,
born in 1744, on the tenth of
September, in Scotland. Prob
ably at Ardgour, in Argyllshire,
which was the first home of the
McMasters. He came to Ameri-
ca in 1865, and remained here
until his death. The first record
we have of him in Maryland was
when in April "a 1778, he acted
as clerk, protein, of the Session
of the Snow Hill Presbyterian
Church, and preached from
March 27, IT'S, to April 20,
1779 as supply for the ''Pres-
byterian Dissenting Congrega-
ton, near Snow Hill Town. On
April 20, 1779 he was ordained
at the Buckingham Presbyter-
ian Church, at Berlin, Maryland,
as pastor over the UNITED
Congregations of Snow Hill and
Pitts Creek" in which connec-
ton and as pastor of the church
at Rehoboth, Maryland, he re-
manned thirty-one years !. When
thirty-seven years of age he
married Nancy Gillet, aged 10,
who died twenty years later. On
July %, 1902 "Parson" McMas-
ter, as he was generally known,
married Sarah Ayres, he then
being fifty-eight years old. They
lived at the Homestead Farm
near Pocomoke. At the time of
his death 'Parson' McMaster left
a number of writings and SER
mons, but these writings. were
destroyed by fire unfortunately.
The only writings of his known
to be in existence are certain
extracts in the minutes of the
churches at Lewes and Snow
Hill, and certain legal docu-
ments, connected with the
settlements of certain estates
in the offices of the county
clerks at Snow Hill and Acco-
mac. All books seem to be lost
except the family Bible, which
is owned by Edgar w. McMas-
ter, of Worcester county. s.
In politiis the "Parson" was
a strong Wing, and preached
some vigorous sermons during
the Revolution, denouncing the
British and the American To-
ries. "Parson''' McMaster sat in
q 4 L