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All the United States New York State New York City Penn Yan Public Universal Friend Exhibit

Public Universal Friend Exhibit

This non-binary preacher formed a religious movement in the region of New York later known as the “Burned-Over District.”

Penn Yan, New York

Added By
zride1905
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A portrait of the Public Universal Friend   Yates County Historical Society
Public Universal Friend   zride1905 / Atlas Obscura User
Men’s hat worn by The Friend   zride1905 / Atlas Obscura User
The Friend’s carriage with monogram, “U.F”   zride1905 / Atlas Obscura User
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In 1776, after recovering from a serious fever, Jemima Wilkinson claimed to have died and been revived in a new form, neither male nor female. They left behind their old name and life and began preaching as the "Public Universal Friend,” or simply the Friend.

The Friend's theology was similar to that of most Quakers, and was especially rooted in the belief that all humans had free will. As they began preaching throughout New England, they gained a group of followers, who called themselves the Society of Universal Friends. The most committed members were a group of unmarried women known as the Faithful Sisterhood. Along with some of these followers, the Friend moved from Rhode Island to western New York in the 1780s and eventually founded the town of Jerusalem.

At its apex, the Friend’s flock numbered close to 200 people, but internal disagreements over gender roles and land ownership eventually fractured the movement. After the Friend passed away in 1819, the movement began to fade, and had all but disappeared by the 1860s.

A small exhibit containing some of the Friend’s personal items and an overview of the religious group can be viewed at the Yates County History Center (YCHC) Underwood Museum. The Public Universal Friend's home still stands in the nearby town of Jerusalem.

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Religion Gender History & Culture

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The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit is in a separate building from the main Underwood House and requires museum staff to unlock it for access.

Community Contributors

Added By

zride1905

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 21, 2023

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Sources
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/01/05/long-before-theythem-pronouns-genderless-prophet-drew-hundreds-followers/
  • https://www.nps.gov/places/the-friend-s-home-jemima-wilkinson-house.htm
  • https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/settler-colonialism/public-universal-friend/
  • http://www.yatespast.org/schererch.html
Public Universal Friend Exhibit
107 Chapel St
Penn Yan, New York, 14527
United States
42.663306, -77.056244
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Photo of Penn Yan

Penn Yan

New York

Places 2

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Photo of Penn Yan

Penn Yan

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