The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America

To conclude the book, Johnson and Wilentz discuss the fallout of the trial and the texts they used that were so critical to their research. They also share that many penny-press editors and the public were generally outraged at the fact that Matthews got off so lightly; William Stone, with help from Benjamin and Ann Folger, published a book documenting Matthews’s time as leader of the Kingdom. Stone and the Folgers also accused Isabella Van Wagenen of being complicit in Pierson’s death while they portrayed themselves in the best possible light. The authors perceive their version of events as slanted. Margaret Matthews published her own account of events, claiming that Benjamin Folger was the main villain. Gilbert Vale, an independent editor, published yet another account, from which the authors drew; this version was corroborated by Isabella Van Wagenen. The Stone account slanders Van Wagenen, who demanded a more truthful version of the story. Matthews’s story was quickly forgotten as newer crime stories and scandals were published in the increasingly popular penny presses, which helped give rise to the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and Herman Melville. The authors also tie Matthews to a long history of religious cult leaders, including Jim Jones and David Koresh.

The authors discuss the impact of these events and the aftermath of the Kingdom on the lives of Kingdom members. Sylvester Mills was released from Bellevue Mental Asylum and resumed his successful career as a merchant. Isabella Laisdell and her husband Charles returned to Albany and, against all odds, resumed a normal married life. Though Margaret Matthews vowed to divorce Robert Matthews, no public record of their divorce exists. Benjamin and Ann Folger were welcomed back by their former church congregation, and Folger resumed his real estate practice and other business activities through to the 1840s. No evidence of Ann and Matthews’s daughter exists in public records. The Pierson family sold Heartt Place, the estate that housed Mount Zion, to a church; it was later purchased by the vice-president of a bank.

According to the authors, Matthews quietly served out his prison sentence. When he was released, he went to Albany to visit Margaret, with Isabella Van Wagenen, his last and most loyal follower, in tow. Margaret refused to forgive or befriend Matthews, and she never saw him again. Matthews then traveled to Kirkland for a meeting with the Church of Mormon founder Joseph Smith. Reports later placed Matthews in Arkansas and then Iowa, preaching to Native Americans. Matthews died in 1841. Isabella Van Wagenen did not follow Matthews when he left New York; she won a slander suit against Benjamin Folger for falsely accusing her of poisoning Elijah Pierson. Although her faith in God was shaken by her experiences, Isabella maintained that Matthews’s teachings were the most rational she had ever heard. She eventually moved to New England and joined the Abolitionist Movement. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth and became a famous anti-slavery advocate and suffragette.