Matthew Henderson French was born 2 February 1731 at Westmoreland County, Virginia, a son of John C. French and Martha Upshur.  He died about 1814 at Wolf Creek, Giles County, Virginia.  When John French died in 1750, Mathew inherited his father's land.  He had intense differences with his step-father, Daniel Cresap, leading to their estrangement and separation.  Matthew, who had not yet reached his majority, sold out his interest in his father's estate to his step-father, and moved back across the Blue Ridge to Culpeper County, Virginia.  Matthew French was appointed guardian of his younger brothers and sister in 1753.  In January 1758, he married Sarah 'Sallie' Payne at Fincastle County, Virginia.  She was born 9 February 1738 at Culpeper County, Virginia, a daughter of John Payne and Sallie, and died after 1814 at Giles County, Virginia.  In 1775, Matthew, his wife, and seven children relocated to the Wolf Creek section of present-day Giles County, being among the first white settlers. 

Matthew and his son, John, served in Colonel William Preston's battalion in the Montgomery County Militia.  Joseph Cloud was Major and Thomas Shannon was Captain of their company.  In 1778, Matthew fled with his family to the Napier-McComas Fort after he learned Indians had raided and killed members of the nearby McKenzie family.  Matthew had left home so hastily that many possessions had to be left behind.  The Indians ripped up their feather beds, turned the livestock on his crop of corn, killed one of his horses, and carried off all the house-hold tableware.  Colonel William Preston ordered the entire militia of Montgomery County to report, 10 February 1781.  Captain Thomas Shannon led Matthew's company.  Colonel Preston's battalion reported to General Greene 28 February, after a ten day march, and were engaged at the battle of Wetzell's Mill, North Carolina, 6 March 1781.  

Matthew and the other New River men fought well but were defeated and were forced to retreat to the Guilford Court House, where the main body of Green's Army had assembled to fight Cornwallis.  The Americans were again defeated, but had delayed and stretched Cornwallis's supply line.  Matthew appeared on the 1782 Montgomery County Tax List:  One Tithable, six horses, 22 cattle, and land.  In the year 1790, Matthew received 200 acres of land at Fincastle County, Virginia, on both sides of Wolf Creek.

References: 

Giles County, Virginia, Will Book A, Pg. 128.

A History of the New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory, by David E. Johnston

Fincastle County, Virginia, Book 1, Grants 22 1789-1791.