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My second great grandmother was Ann Pierson. Ann married George Matson 12 October 1819 at the Rueling Asbury Church. She was twenty-two and George was a widower with five children between the ages of 9 and 19. His first wife was Elizabeth Walters.

To Ann and George were born five other children: Elvina, George Washington, Wesley, Georgianna and George Brinton. George was a drover and they lived in the city of Centerville. Eight years after Ann and George were married, George died 3 September 1827. Just prior to his death, they had lost their son George Washington. Soon after he died, George Brinton was born.

In 1840 Ann lost her daughter Georgianna at the age of fifteen. Cyrus Stern, a cousin to Ann, who spent 40 years researching the Stern-West genealogy said, "She was a remarkable woman, active and persistent, fearing no cross where duty and conscience might lead.” Although the Wests and Gilpins (Rachel Ann Gilpin was Rachel Stern's great-grandmother) were active Quakers as were many of the Sterns, Ann looked for further truth. In the 1840's, two Mormon missionaries were in the Centerville area and Ann listened to their message and was converted. In 1843 she sold two and a half acres and with her eldest daughter Elvina who was in her 20's, and her youngest son George Brinton who was in his teens, they left for Nauvoo, Illinois. While in Nauvoo, Ann's daughter Elvina became ill and died on 24 August 1845. She is buried in Nauvoo. Ann and her son George Brinton migrated to Utah along with the rest of the Saints. Her son Wesley remained in Delaware and on 25 January 1855 married Edith S. Heyburn of Birmingham, Pennsylvania. They remained in that area, had four children, and are buried in the Longwood Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

George Brinton Matson, Sr.

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George Brinton Matson, Sr. was born in Delaware on October 26, 1827. He, as a boy, with his widowed mother joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Illinois and for a time was chore boy in the household of the Prophet Joseph Smith and knew the family well. In troublesome times just preceding the Prophet's martyrdom, he acted as one of the guards around the Mansion House. He left for Utah in September 1847 traveling win the Abraham O. Smoot Co. In 1949 he was one of the parties of explorers under Parley P. Pratt called to explore Southern Utah. George followed the mason trade and farming. He married Mary Jane Guymon on January 25, 1854 at the home of John W. Young in Salt Lake. In the rigorous winter of 1857 we went with the rescue party as far as Bridger to succor the ill-fated handcart company from the fatal winter blasts and the deep falling snow. The Indian War Veterans recognized as one of their veteran members, he having served in all the Indian wars of the country. He did much freighting in the early days of Utah history to Montana, Missouri River and to Southern California and took a willing hand in all pioneer work. He was a man of untiring energy. His main object in life was to have his children educated and he made many sacrifices for them. He raised seven boys and four girls. He always had a burning testimony of the gospel and would willingly lay down his life for his faith. He died on Christmas day 1912 and was buried at Springville, Utah, where he had lived most of his life. George Brinton also helped build many of the first homes in Salt Lake Valley and assisted in building the wall around the Salt Lake Temple and bringing materials from the quarry with his wagon and team. It is believed he learned his mason trade as a young boy by helping to build the Nauvoo temple although there is no proof of this. (George Brinton Matson, Sr. was Elaine Matson Reschke’s great grandfather.)

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Noah Thomas Guymon was born 30 June 1819 in Jackson County, Tennessee. He was the fifth child of Thomas Guymon and Sarah Gordon Guymon who were both descendants of Revolutionary War ancestors. Noah's father was a good farmer and school teacher and Noah received a rounded basic education in both.

In the early spring of 1826 the family moved to Edgar County, Illinois, where they lived a rather peaceful life until 1836 when James, Noah's older brother, came home from a trip which changed their entire future. He told the family of a new church, different from any they had ever known. When James finished his story, his father said, "Jim, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is just what we have been looking for. Noah, James, his youngest brother, four sisters, and his parents joined the church soon after that. Noah was baptized 2 March 1836

Noah Thomas knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and acted as one of his body guards. He told his children of Joseph's experience in the Sacred Grove and how they would eventually be driven from their homes. He bore his testimony at a conference in Orangeville telling of a meeting he attended conducted by Brigham Young.

Noah Thomas married Mary Dickerson Dudley on 24 December 1837 in Caldwell County, Missouri. Their first child, Mary Jane, was born on 25 October 1838 on the night of the Crooked River Battle when David Patten was killed. In the winter of 1838 Noah and his family with the rest of the Saints moved to the state of Illinois where Noah helped build the city of Nauvoo. Here there second child Lucinda Harris was born on 10 September 1840. On 8 July 1842 their third child Emma Melissa was born. When the Prophet Joseph was martyred, they were living on a small farm in the country not far from Nauvoo. Noah was sick in bed with a high fever at the time.

Noah's wife, Mary Dickerson Dudley, died from complications of childbirth on March 1, 1845, and was taken to Nauvoo for burial. This left Noah with three small girls to care for, Mary Jane, Lucinda Harris and Emma Melissa. (Noah Thomas Guymon was Elaine Matson Reschke’s other second great-grandmother.)

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In 1850 Mary Jane crossed the plains with her father and twp sisters in Aaron Johnson's Company and arrived in Salt Lake on the 12th of September of that year. Her father took the three girls South and settled in American Fork where he built his first home. Mary Jane was almost twelve when the house was finished and her father, her Uncle Matthew Caldwell and a Brother Adams left to go to Salt Lake to work to get provisions for the families. Brother Chipman was left to watch over them while they were gone. The following is the story about Mary Jane and her sisters as passed down through the generations.

Just before the girls’ father left for Salt Lake, Emma could not hold back the tears. She ran to her father and said, "Please don't go. What if something bad happens? You might never see us again." "Mary Jane will watch over you," her father said, "and you can help her with the housekeeping while I'm gone." He explained why they had to go, to get money for the winter's supply of food. Emma dried her tears and nodded that she understood. Her father told the girls to watch for Indians who would steal anything they could get their hands on. "Be sure to bring in the ax if you see them coming. And come into the house and bolt the doors and windows. Don't let them in. Sister Caldwell will stop by now and then to see how you are doing. And don't forget your prayers. The Lord will help you whenever you need Him if you have faith."

The day after the men left, Chief Walker with his band of braves came and pitched their tents along the river bottom. Brother Chipman talked with Chief Walker and the Chief ordered his braves not to molest the settlers, but some were very annoying coming into cabins and helping themselves to anything they could find.

The men were gone for several weeks, but Sister Caldwell stopped by every few days to see how they were doing. Mary Jane kept her sisters busy. She taught them to make candles, to cross stitch and to embroider. Just before their father was due to return, they busied themselves cleaning the house. Emma shook rugs, Lucinda washed the curtains, and Mary Jane scrubbed the floor. As Emma was outside shaking a rug that was almost bigger than she was, she saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. She went into the house and told her sister she thought it was from buffalos. Mary Jane knew it was not buffalos but a band of Indian braves looking for trouble. She scooted her sisters into the house, barred the windows and door and assured her sisters they were safe. Then Emma turned to Mary Jane and said, "You forgot to bring in the ax like Papa said." Mary Jane decided it would take too long to unbar the door which had taken all their strength to secure, so she decided to go up the chimney. As her sisters helped her up the wide chimney, she said, "After I'm up take the kettle off the hook so I won't have any trouble getting back down." When Mary Jane got to the top of the roof, she slid down and jumped the three feet to the ground. She ran to the wood pile and grabbed the ax just as the Indians were headed her way. Putting the ladder up against the roof, she climbed up again, tugging and pulling at the heavy ax. Then she pulled the ladder up with her. When she got to the chimney, she dropped the ax down and Emma dragged it into a corner. Then Mary Jane started to climb down the chimney, but she lost her footing and fell. As she fell she caught her thigh on the big hook that had held the kettle which Lucinda had obediently removed. The hook went clear through her leg with her back and shoulders resting on the hearth. Her sisters were unable to lift her off and Mary Jane soon became unconscious.

By now the Indians were circling the house, screaming and yelling. Lucinda and Emma were crying, not knowing what to do. Then Emma stopped crying and said, "Lucinda, let's pray like Papa told us to do if we got into trouble." They both knelt down and started praying. As they were praying, one very large painted Indian broke through a window and two others broke through the door, tomahawks raised. When they saw the girls praying and Mary Jane caught on the hook, they lowered their tomahawks, went to Mary Jane and gently lifted her off the hook. By now, their Chief was at the door. He said something in Ute to his braves and they rode off on their ponies. The Chief helped the girls dress Mary Jane's leg and wrapped her in a blanket. One young buck gave the girls a beaded band for their wrists, but when he saw the ax in the corner he went to it and felt the sharpness of the blade. The Chief gave a harsh command and the buck put the ax down.

At this time Mary Jane's father and the others were returning to American Fork having arrived at the halfway point. Suddenly, a man came galloping toward them and told them the Indians were on the warpath because a white trapper had killed one of their braves. "I'm on my way to Salt Lake to get some men to help hold 'em off. They're burning cabins as they go and we need help!" Then he rode off. Fearing for the lives of their families, Noah and his two friends left their pack horses at a nearby cabin and rode as fast as they could. When Mary Jane's father neared the cabin and saw Indian ponies the hair on his neck bristled. With gun in hand, he jumped from his horse and entered his cabin. What he saw was hard to believe. There was a fat and dirty Indian squaw who had been ordered to stay with the girls until their father returned. Nothing had been taken.

Noah Thomas Guymon had taught his daughters well. Their faith in the Lord and in prayer had saved them from possible death. As he held them in his arms, tears welled in his eyes in gratitude. Even though the Indians had caused considerable damage to other settlers' cabins during the time the Guymons lived there, not once were they ever molested by the Indians. Once each year the old Ute Chief with his squaw and two other braves brought gifts to Mary Jane, Lucinda and Emma. Mary Jane had the scar throughout her life. (Mary Jane Guymon Matson was Elaine Matson Reschke’s father’s maternal grand-mother.)