Stuff You Missed in History Class SYMHC Classics: Public Universal Friend
Nov 29, 2025
Explore the fascinating life of the Public Universal Friend, a genderless spirit who took over the body of Jemima Wilkinson. Discover her unique preaching style that blended Quaker and New Light beliefs, and the controversy surrounding her movement. Learn about her loyal followers, legal battles, and the challenges faced by her community in New York. Delve into the claims of illness that led to the Friend's emergence and the legacy that continued long after her death in 1819.
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Genderless Resurrection Claim
- The Public Universal Friend claimed a genderless spirit had inhabited Jemima Wilkinson's resurrected body in 1776.
- The Friend's identity challenges simple name/pronoun choices for historians and biographers.
Jemima's Early Life
- Jemima Wilkinson was born November 29, 1752, in Cumberland, Rhode Island, into a large family known for cherry farming.
- She had little formal schooling but self-studied Quaker theology and became a skilled rider.
Religious Conflict And Disownment
- Jemima diverged from her Quaker meeting by attending New Light Baptist revivals and using non-Quaker speech.
- Those choices led to her disownment from the Smithfield Friends in August 1776.
