McMaster, Gilbert, 1778-1854

As a young child growing up in County Down (Ulster), Ireland, Gilbert McMaster (also spelled M'Master or MacMaster) was inoculated with a full measure of austere Presbyterianism and more than a small dose of sympathy for the causes of Irish and American independence. In the home of his maternal grandfather, he was taught the rudiments of reading and writing and provided with a sound religious foundation, and from age eight, he expanded his educational horizons through a succession of local tutors, hired to bolster his skills in arithmetic, Latin, Greek, and other subjects.

Young McMaster's life took a dramatic turn in 1791, when he sailed to America with his parents, James and Mary (Crawford), following in the path of two of James' brothers who had emigrated in 1784. Their initial destination, New Castle County, Delaware, proved disappointing in its pallid religious life, so in 1792, the family elected to join James McMaster's brother, John, in Franklin County, Pa. There, Gilbert sought to resume his studies, though hampered by a shortage of money. He declined an offer from an uncle, John Rodden, to pay all expenses, provided he return to Ireland. With perseverance, and the assistance of his father and uncle McMaster, he enrolled in the Franklin Academy in Chambersburg, working as a teacher to pay his way. The severe discipline at the Academy -- corporal as well as intellectual -- left its mark on young Gilbert, as did the work ethic instilled by the necessity of working to make ends meet. When he assumed charge of a school established by local Federalists to shelter their children from Democratic teachers, McMaster steadfastly and successfully asserted his right to freedom of political thought even in this highly charged setting.

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