The Public Universal Friend
-Chrissie
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/bqn1/hwts063
In the later years of the First Great Awakening, a group known as the Society of Universal Friends was formed. It was, in large part, an offshoot of the Society of Friends (better known as the Quakers). The group shared many of the same values and ideals, particularly the egalitarian nature of salvation and a refusal to acknowledge “social betters” as such—everyone was “thee” and no one was “sir.” It has been marked as the first religious group founded by an American Woman, though its founder, the Public Universal Friend, did not identify as female.
The Public Universal Friend was born Jemima Wilkinson on 29 November 1752, the eighth of her parents’ twelve children. Their childhood does not seem terribly unusual, though, being born into a Quaker family meant that Jemima was afforded the same educational opportunities as their brothers and was encouraged in intellectual pursuits. They were also a skilled equestrian.
Jemima’s relationship with the Society of Friends soured in the mid-1770s. They had been less seen at meetings of the Quaker community to which they belonged, and more seen at the nearby Baptist church, leading to their dismissal from the Society in August of 1776. They were the fourth of their siblings to receive such notice that year—two brothers had violated the pacifist ideology by becoming soldiers and one sister had birthed an illegitimate child. These events likely had a great influence on the Friend’s ideologies and preaching which, while largely the same as the Society of Friends, it seems to have been far less strict and judgmental.
In October 1776, Jemima Wilkinson contracted a disease that left them incapacitated with a high fever for many days. This illness birthed the Public Universal Friend; they later explained that Jemima Wilkinson had died and her soul had ascended to Heaven, which allowed another spirit to inhabit the body, with the specific God-given purpose of preaching the Word of God. This new spirit was sexless and genderless, said to embody the words of Paul to the Galatians, that there was “no male or female…all are one in Christ.” (Galatians 3:28) As soon as they were healthy enough to do so, the Public Universal Friend began travelling and preaching in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. They now dress in androgynous or masculine clothing and ceased using gendered language for themselves, asking that friends do the same. When gendered language is used for the Friend, it is masculine; this is likely related more to the standard of the time using the male pronoun as a universal one, as it is clear that the Friend themselves did not so identify. When asked about their gender, the Friend’s usual response was “I am that which I am.”
Accompanying the Friend from the beginning of their ministry was Jemima’s brother Stephen, and sisters Patience, Deborah, Elizabeth, and Mercy, all of whom had been pushed out of the Society of Friends. Their early preaching focused on repentance, in light of the prophesies from Revelation that were expected to be fulfilled in the spring of 1870. Their statements lined up with an event on 19 May of that year, known as New England’s Dark Day, in which cloud cover, fog, and a nearby forest fire created conditions across New England which were described as dark as night, but without the stars. This meteorological coincidence increased the Friend’s credibility.
This new Society of Universal Friends grew quickly, and the Friend’s sermons, which they preached without notes and included long quotes from scripture recited from memory, attracted large audiences. The attendees and adherents tended relatively young (most under 40) and came mostly from Quaker backgrounds. The group was also welcomed by the Free Quakers, who had separated themselves from the larger Society of Friends over the issue of pacifism in the face of the American Revolution.
The sermons and meetings conducted by the Public Universal Friend were widely reported on in newspapers and pamphlets. There was a great deal of generalized criticism about the Friend, most focusing on their androgenous nature with the inference being that their teachings were equally unorthodox. Those who actually listened to the Friend found little difference from the standard teaching of Quakers of the era. They tended to have a greater emphasis on equality of the sexes, both in light of salvation and life on Earth, and of racial equality, as seen in their calling for the abolition of slavery, serving as witnesses for manumission documents, and by the open inclusion of Black members with full status. The Friend is also reported to have had a good relationship with members of the local tries, though it is unclear if there were any indigenous people among the membership. Gender equality was reinforced by the Friend stating outright that it was more important for women to obey God than to obey the men in their lives. The sect included a group of unmarried women who took on the leadership roles generally reserved for men in such organizations. They were the “Faithful Sisterhood” and were known to be the Friend’s most dedicated followers. Some even took on a nonbinary identity and the surname of “Friend” to indicate their devotion.
Like the Utopian communities so common in the next century, the Society of Universal Friends looked to build their own town. Their first attempt was lost to the shifting borders and land speculation prevalent near the end of the American Revolution. The second attempt was more successful, resulting in the founding of the town of Jerusalem in what is now Yates County, New York. They came into some conflict with local landowners, who tried to remove the Society of Universal Friends by bringing charges of blasphemy against the Friend. When these were eventually heard by a judge, he found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The Friend continued preaching through ailing health until 1818. They died on 1 July 1819. The Society of Universal Friends continued for a few generations, but had essentially disappeared by 1860.
The Public Universal Friend has an interesting legacy. The earliest works about them tend to focus on the Friend’s assigned gender, portraying them as a conniving and manipulating woman. Later works put positive emphasis on their assigned femininity, portraying them as a pioneering figure in the history of women’s rights. More recent scholarship places the Friend as an important figure in the history of transgender and gender nonbinary people, even though the terms are not ones the Friend would have recognized.