Public Universal Friend, 1752-1819

LC control no.	n 80107144
Descriptive conventions	rda
Personal name heading	Public Universal Friend, 1752-1819 *Browse this term in* LC Authorities or the LC Catalog
Variant(s)	Universal Friend, 1752-1819 Publick Universal Friend, 1752-1819 PUF, 1752-1819 Wilkinson, Jemima, 1752-1819
Biography/History note	The Public Universal Friend (1752-1819) was born to a Quaker family in Rhode Island. After recovering from a severe illness, they reported that Jemima Wilkinson had died, their soul ascended to heaven, and their body had been reanimated with a new spirit charged by God with preaching his word. From that time on, the Public Universal Friend refused to respond to their birth name or gendered pronouns. Followers also referred to them in abbreviated forms such as "the Friend" or "PUF." The Public Universal Friend founded the religious sect the "Society of Friends" and in the 1790s started a utopian community in upstate New York.
Located	Yates County (N.Y.)
Birth date	1752-11-29
Death date	1819-07-01
Place of birth	Cumberland (R.I. : Town)
Place of death	Penn Yan (N.Y.)
Profession or occupation	Evangelists Religious leaders
Found in	Hudson, D. History of Jemima Wilkinson, 1821: appendix, p. 20 (Publick Universal Friend; Universal Friend) MWA/NAIP files (hdg.: Wilkinson, Jemima, 1752-1819; usage: Jemima Wilkinson; Universal Friend; note: religious leader, born a R.I. Quaker; after 1777 called themself the Universal Friend or Publick Universal Friend; in 1790, established a colony in Yates Co., N.Y., for themself and followers) Wikipedia, viewed February 7, 2023 (The Public Universal Friend, born Jemima Wilkinson (29 November 1752-July 1, 1819) was a charismatic American evangelist who preached a theology similar to that of most Quakers; stressed free will, opposed slavery, and supported sexual abstinence, which attracted many followers who became the "Society of Universal Friends"; born Cumberland, Rhode Island; died Jerusalem, New York, near Penn Yan)
Associated language	eng