At the age of twenty-four, the Rhode Island Quaker Jemima Wilkinson (1752-1819) recovered from a bout of fever with the pronouncement that she had been directed by a vision to preach to a “dying and sinful world.” Announcing that Jemima had died and that her body now housed a new spirit, the Publick Universal Friend, this remarkably charismatic-and notably scandal-plagued-woman gathered several hundred followers and settled to the west of Seneca Lake. Although the religious community she founded on a framework of abstinence and friendship did not long survive her, Wilkinson remains a figure of fascination and mystery to this day. Herbert A. Wisbey Jr.'s 1964 biography is the authoritative account of her life, times, and ideals.
Reviews
"Wisbey has produced a convincing account of Jemima Wilkinson's life and reputation, written with good humor and often charm."—
William and Mary Quarterly"Quietly and convincingly, Wisbey sets straight the historical record, demolishing the myths about her alleged sexual and financial irregularities. He strengthens this achievement by gathering into a separate chapter the surprisingly extensive folklore created by her career. One of the merits of this fine biography is the evidence it provides for perceiving the pattern of similarities among Jemima, Mother Ann Lee, Joanna Southcott, Joseph Smith, and similar religious leaders of the age and even suggestions of their possible interaction."—
Journal of American History
Subject Areas
