Cora Wilburn (1824–1906) was a 19th-century American novelist, essayist, and poet. Her work was published in

Spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

and

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

publications. Wilburn's 1860 novel, ''Cosella Wayne: Or, Will and Destiny'' is considered to be the first novel to depict an

American Jewish American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% ide ...

coming-of-age story.

Early life

Cora Wilburn was born Henrietta Pulfermacher, possibly in

Alsace, France Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. Her mother died when Wilburn was a child. Her father, Moritz Pulfermacher, was an abusive alcoholic

con-man A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibili ...

who adopted a number of identifies. This led Wilburn, her father, and step-mother to live in a number of countries including Germany, India, Australia, and Venezuela. Wilburn's step-mother died in 1844 and her father died in 1845. She was taken in by a family in La Guaira, Venezuela. Wilburn, who was Jewish, was pressured to convert to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. She regretted doing so and returned to Judaism eighteen months later.

Immigration to the United States

In September 1848, Wilburn embarked on a three-week journey across the sea. She arrived in New York on September 30, 1848, and traveled to Philadelphia that same evening. She entered the United States under the name Cora Jackson. It is believed that her father used the Jackson surname during one of a number of attempts to hide his true identity. Wilburn worked as a seamstress upon her arrival in Philadelphia.

Writing career

Wilburn began writing in 1852. It is as this time when she began using the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Cora Wilburn. This also became her legal name as demonstrated in the census and her death record. Wilburn identified as a Spiritualist from 1852 to 1869 while also maintaining her Jewish identity. She published a series of essays in the Spiritualist newspaper, ''The Agitator'' entitled ''My Religion''. Wilburn often wrote about social justice issues. She was outspoken against slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and poverty, and was passionate about women's rights. In 1860, she published a novel titled ''Cosella Wayne: Or, Will and Destiny.'' It is believed to be based on a diary she began writing while living in La Guaira, Venezuela with her father. Wilburn's novel was first published serially in the Spiritualist newspaper, Banner of Light, and is considered to be the first novel published by a Jewish American. Largely autobiographical, it explores themes of interfaith relations, spirituality, Spiritualism, Jewish practice across the world, family strife, social class, mistreatment of workers, gender roles and women's rights. It was re-published in 2019 with an introduction by

Jonathan Sarna Jonathan D. Sarna (born 10 January 1955) is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director othe Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis Universit ...

. In 1868, Wilburn published a book of poetry titled ''The Spiritual Significance of Gems.'' Wilburn moved to Maine at the age of 45 and embraced

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

. She moved to

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest List of municipalities in Massachusetts, municipality in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line ...

in 1877 where she mostly wrote poetry for Jewish publications. The Jewish Women's Congress commissioned her most famous poem, "Israel to the World in Greeting", in 1893.

Death and legacy

Wilburn died in 1906 at her home in

Duxbury, Massachusetts Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 2020 census. The tow ...

. She was cremated as per her wishes, a practice which goes against the laws of Judaism. She is believed to be the first Jew in the Boston area to have been cremated. Wilburn was mostly forgotten until the rediscovery of her novel, ''Cosella Wayne: Or, Will and Destiny,'' around 2019. This discovery altered the accepted timeline of American Jewish literature. The novel predates Nathan Meyer's 1867 American Jewish novel, ''Differences'', which was previously believed to be the first of its kind. Wilburn's novel also predates Emma Wolfe's 1892 ''Other Things Being Equal.'' Wolfe has previously been referred to as the first American Jewish women novelist. In October 2022, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts renamed a bridge in Duxbury as 'Cora Wilburn Bridge' in her honor.https://www.jta.org/2022/10/13/united-states/cora-wilburn-an-early-american-jewish-novelist-gets-a-bridge-named-for-her-in-her-mass-town

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilburn, Cora 1824 births 1906 deaths 19th-century American essayists 19th-century American Jews 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers American Reform Jews American spiritualists American women essayists American women novelists American women poets Jewish American essayists Jewish American novelists Jewish American poets Jewish women writers