Elijah Pierson was one of the first members to join Matthias's cult, and he remained a devoted follower until almost the end. In many ways, however, he did not fit the typical profile of most followers. He was a wealthy merchant and a passionate evangelical, and he initially took part in the Finneyite movement. By the 1820s, he was one of New York's best-known religious reformers. He was united with his wife Sarah in a passion for social reform, and they were actively involved in evangelical missionary work. Sarah’s death pushed Pierson, already psychologically unstable, over the edge and into madness. The authors state that Pierson readily embraced Matthias’ bizarre philosophy because he was trying to fill the void left by his wife’s death.