Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-04-05
A TRIBUTE TO JOHN
STEVENSON McMASTER
(Contributed)
By Harry Pringle Ford.

Few men have been more widely
known or more universally beloved
throughout the lower Eastern Shore
counties and those, of Eastern Vir
ginia, than John S. McMaster, who
died at his home in Jersey City, ane
was buried on March "a, 1924, in tht
Manolkin Presbyterian Churchyaro
Princess Anne.
Mr.. McMaster was born in Poe.
moke City in 1859. He attende>
Delaware and Lafayette colleges, ant
studied law at the University of Vir
ginia. In 1894, he married Miss Lou
lisa Jane Dennis, of Beverly on the
Pocomoke.
Mr.. McMaster will be long be re-
membered for his devotion to his be-
loved Eastern Shore. He never tired
of visiting it, as occasion offered, and
in speaking of it's varied charms. Its
wonderful evergreen trees were al
ways an unspeakable delight to him;
and in the back yard of his beautiful
home in Jersey City he would keep
his Christmas trees alive as long as
possible in order that he might enjoy
their Eastern Shore suggestiveness.
He was much interested in school
children, and frequently offered re-
wards for the best essays on certain
phases of Eastern Shore history. He
received innumerable invitations tc
address high schools, many of which
he accepted. He travelled extensive
ly, both at home and abroad, yet
found no lands fairer than those
swept by the winds of the Atlantic
and Chesapeake.
Mr.. McMaster came honestly by
his love for the lower Peninsula, for
it came to him through long line Of
ancestors. His great, great grand
father, Rev. Samuel McMaster (1744-
1919 succeeded the celebrated Fran
els Mackenzie, who died in 17O8, as the
pastor of the Rehoboth, Pitts Greek
and Snow Hill Presbyterian churches.
He became the pastor of Makemie's
daughter, Madam Anne Mackenzie Hol-
den, who in her will dated November
Is, 1887, made him one of the eXecu
tors of it and bequeathed to him "the
sum of 46 pounds, mahogany desk.
nov in the possession Of Union Theo-
ligical Seminary, Richmond, Va, a
bed and furniture, and Negro
woman called Keziah, and her chill
dren."
In this connection, it is interesting
10 learn that Parson McMaster pre-
Pared an extended history Of early
Persbyterianism, including the work
of Francis Mackenzie, on the Eastern
Shore. After his death, the manu-
script of the history utterly dis
appeared. Lawyer John S. McMas-
ter, however, never despaired of find
it, and made repeated ecorts in this
direction. Some years ago, he was
visiting the old McMaster homestead
near Pocomoke City, and asked the
then tenants Of the place if they had
seen any old papers hidden away.
The Indifferent reply was ,"Some time
ago, we took up the floor under the
caves in the attic, and there found a
number of old books and several
packages of manuscripts, yellow with
age and carefully tied up, with the
name McMaster written upon them.
There must have been half a cart
load of them. AS they appeared
valueless, and as we knew no Nc
Masters I'VE threw them into the yard
and burned them"
1t is thought that the packages
were hidden as safeguard against
being destroyed by the British dur
ing their invasion of the Chesapeake
Bay in connection with the War Of
1912. The loss was a grievous one
for Mr.. McMaster had been intimate
with the makers of our earliest his
tory, and wrote first-hand informa-
ton.
Doubtless documents quite as valu-
able are even yet being just as heed
lessly destroyed through ignorance of
those in charge of them.