"Isaac, with his family, went to Jefferson County, Pennsylvania in 1833 and lived there until 1845 and then came to Illinois. They came most of the distance in steam boat by the way of the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi rivers. They passed through Freeport on the 16th day of April 1845 and located on a tract of land about nine miles due north in Buckeye township. Freeport at that time was a mere village. There were no churches, but a few dwellings, a few stores which carried very limited stocks, the principal part of which was provisions. Household goods, cooking utensils, etc., were bought either in Galena or Chicago and brought to Freeport by team. It was a rare treat for the sons to accompany the father on one of these trips when he also sold their produce. Although a tailor by trade, Isaac undertook farming. He proceeded as best he could with the crude implements of that time making a comfortable living for his family. William, the youngest brother of Isaac, followed him to this county in 1854.... These brothers, pioneer settlers were prominent in establishing the churches in their communities and promoting moral and religious sentiment. They were official members in the church and they contributed of their time and labor, as well as of their means, to the erection of the first houses of worship in the county...."
"Isaac Matter and his family migrated with the Pennsylvania colony to the cheap and fertile land of Illinois. It was through the efforts of Bishop Seybert who saw the advantages of government land. In this new country they settled in Stephenson County 9 miles north in Buckeye Township on April 16, 1845. At one the Zion Church was organized through the efforts of these settlers. Isaac Matter was a tireless worker in this church. He was Sunday School Superintendent for many years and held a weekly Bible study for years in his home.
'Historical Sketch' in the History of The Isaac Matter Family To June 1907 by Cora A. Matter:
