Public Universal Friend, 1752-1819

The Public Universal Friend (born Jemima Wilkinson; November 29, 1752 – July 1, 1819) was an American preacher born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, to Quaker parents. After suffering a severe illness in 1776, the Friend claimed to have died and been reanimated as a genderless evangelist named the Public Universal Friend, and afterward shunned both birth name and gendered pronouns. In androgynous clothes, the Friend preached throughout the northeastern United States, attracting many followers who became the Society of Universal Friends.

Wikipedia, retrieved May 12, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Universal_Friend

Religious leader.

Originally a Rhode Island Quaker, Jemima Wilkinson believed that she had died following an illness in 1776, and later arose as the "Publick Universal Friend," who was sent by God to preach against sin. After preaching in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, she established a colony (1790) for herself and her followers. Soon after the Friend's death in 1819 the community disintegrated entirely.

From the description of Jemima Wilkinson papers, 1768-1872. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 64074976