Who is Robert Matthews from The Kingdom of Matthias and what is their importance?

Robert Matthews was born in the Scottish community of Coila inside of Cambridge, New York, in 1788. He was brought up in a strict Calvinist "Anti-burgher" tradition that the Scots brought over from Scotland. The religion stressed egalitarianism, but also patriarchy. Matthews married Margaret and had several children. He ran a successful store for a time, but a series of bad business decisions brought him to the brink of bankruptcy.