Story perspectives

Revived Prophet Public Universal Friend Sparks Dress Debate, Frontier Scandals

5/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Public Universal Friend, formerly Jemima Wilkinson, was revived in October 1776 in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Within a week the Friend delivered an hour-long sermon, after which Ezra Stiles, Yale president, called the Friend’s dress “like a man,” prompting a reply that agency over dress and identity superseded conventional morals.
After the Revolutionary War the Friend moved west to found a frontier settlement that later faced scams, contested wills, and murder accusations.

History

Historical Context

In 1739 George Whitefield sparked the First Great Awakening, preaching to crowds of up to 30,000 in Boston and touring New England. The movement’s focus on personal revelation inspired later charismatic leaders, such as the Public Universal Friend, who in 1776 founded the frontier settlement of Jerusalem, Pennsylvania, and challenged conventional gender roles.

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Story summary

The Public Universal Friend, formerly Jemima Wilkinson, was revived in October 1776 in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Within a week the Friend delivered an hour-long sermon, after which Ezra Stiles, Yale president, called the Friend’s dress “like a man,” prompting a reply that agency over dress and identity superseded conventional morals.
After the Revolutionary War the Friend moved west to found a frontier settlement that later faced scams, contested wills, and murder accusations.

1 / 2