The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America

by Paul Benjamin Moyer

Amid political innovation and social transformation, Revolutionary America was also fertile ground for religious upheaval, as self-proclaimed visionaries and prophets established new religious sects throughout the emerging nation. Among the most influential and controversial of these figures was Jemima Wilkinson. Born in 1752 and raised in a Quaker household in Cumberland, Rhode Island, Wilkinson began her ministry dramatically in 1776 when, in the midst of an illness, she announced her own death and reincarnation as the Public Universal Friend, a heaven-sent prophet who was neither female nor male. In The Public Universal Friend , Paul B. Moyer tells the story of Wilkinson and her remarkable church, the Society of Universal Friends. Wilkinson’s message was a simple one: humankind stood on the brink of the Apocalypse, but salvation was available to all who accepted God’s grace and the authority of his prophet: the Public Universal Friend. Wilkinson preached widely in southern New England and Pennsylvania, attracted hundreds of devoted followers, formed them into a religious sect, and, by the late 1780s, had led her converts to the backcountry of the newly formed United States, where they established a religious community near present-day Penn Yan, New York. Even this remote spot did not provide a safe haven for Wilkinson and her followers as they awaited the Millennium. Disputes from within and without dogged the sect, and many disciples drifted away or turned against the Friend. After Wilkinson’s "second" and final death in 1819, the Society rapidly fell into decline and, by the mid-nineteenth century, ceased to exist. The prophet’s ministry spanned the American Revolution and shaped the nation’s religious landscape during the unquiet interlude between the first and second Great Awakenings. The life of the Public Universal Friend and the Friend’s church offer important insights about changes to religious life, gender, and society during this formative period. The Public Universal Friend is an elegantly written and comprehensive history of an important and too little known figure in the spiritual landscape of early America.

Genres: History, Biography, Religion, Nonfiction, American History, Gender, LGBT

280 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2015

Reviews

[Kenneth McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by the Universal Friend, who was the first person that I know of who claimed not to have a male or female gender. The same year that the colonies claimed independence from England, the Friend (formerly Jemimah Wilkinson) awoke from a coma and immediately began preaching, soon forming an influential religious sect (an offshoot of the Quakers--or Friends--The Universal Friend founded the Universal Friends Church). The Friend went on to found one of the first American frontier settlements. I've read several biographies of The Friend. An earlier book, titled Pioneer Prophetess, is dated and leaves many questions unanswered for contemporary readers. This book is written in a slightly dry academic tone but is the best single biography that I've found about The Friend.

[Joseph Nairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book, the Character anyway, through another work of historical fiction "Genesee Fever". Jemimah Wilkinson is NOT fictional as they are indeed very real, but the character appears in the other and I was fascinated to find that they were a true historical individual. Paul Moyer's book is a bit heavy (footnotes and references) and may be dense for many casual readers, but it is an excellent text for anyone interested in extensively researched history. Living in Upstate New York, not far from where the Friend established their community, I found the book to open up the history of Yates County and its Town names in a fresh fashion. The Village of Penn Yan (that name is in itself a story) is located in the Town of Jerusalem, much owing to the Friend and their followers in and around the time of the revolution. It is at once a fascinating colonial history, an early exploration of gender identity, and one of many stories contributing to Western New York's history as "the Burnt Over" region in religious fervor which included the Oneida community and others.
The ongoing public debate about gender identity often seems as a "new" thing to many, but the Friend's experience is to learn of the presence of such matters as relevant for centuries. The Friend also tapped into religious zealotry that led to the apocalyptic sects that would follow for many years.
As stated above, this is not a casual read, but a GREAT read for history buffs and qualifies as an excellent text for anyone interested in US Social and Intellectual History. Dr. Moyer is part of a relatively unknown, or at least underappreciated, excellent History department at SUNY Brockport.

[Clare Baeckeroot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic read.

I’ve always been very much fascinated by the Public Universal Friend, and this is a great biography of the Friend and history of the Society of Universal Friends. This is *not* an in-depth study of the Friend’s queerness, so don’t go in expecting that — instead, Moyer is far more concerned with what the Friend did to dismantle societal gender roles than he is with the Friend’s own conception of gender and non-binary identity. Well-researched and very thorough.

[Sarah Sells Seashells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting topic, and Moyer’s analysis of sociological data was helpful in understanding how the Friend’s community differed from mainstream Revolutionary-era populations. It does feel like reading a term paper, which is unfortunate. But overall a helpful overview, especially regarding the confusing property disputes that characterize the Friend’s time in NY.

[Meris Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amid a plethora of prophets, the Public Universal Friend stands out as a visionary on gender equality and as the first modern nonbinary public spokesperson. Moyer has written a well researched book about the Friend, their solid Bible knowledge, preaching, followers, and relationships with the Quakers and other Christian factions. I want a t-shirt that says 'Public Universal Friend'.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough and persuasive study of the Public Universal Friend, aka Jemima Wilkinson, a preacher from the era of the American Revolution who claimed to be neither male nor female and created their own sect of Quakerism.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched but another example of a topic/person with few first-person references being inflated by descriptions of society at the time/other people in their orbit/etc., and not as much direct, non-speculative info

[Steven Yenzer]

This started out really interesting but somehow became incredibly dry. I may give it another shot at some point because Moyer's writing was great and the topic is fascinating.

[Rebecca Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book primarily to learn about my own family history. While researching my family tree I discovered that my 5th great grandfather and his family followed "the Friend" from Rhode Island to the Finger Lakes Region of New York. I learned quite a bit about my ancestor's lives and involvement with the group and thanks to the author's numerous footnotes, I've got leads for further research. I chose this biography of Wilkinson because I appreciated the author's placement of her movement in the larger picture of gender issues and religious movements of that time.