Sophia Hume

Who was Sophia Hume?

Sophia Wigington Hume was an American author and preacher associated with the Quakers.

She was the author of books written to offer guidance to Quakers on a variety of topics including theology, philosophy, and personal ethics. She is significant as an early example of influential women whose non-fiction writings were addressed to a wide audience regardless of the sex of the reader.

Given the wealth of her writings that survive and which are now beginning to become widely available as online resources, there is a puzzling lack of scholarship on Hume. One article by Phyllis Mack of Rutgers University is not focused specifically on Hume, but does discuss her place in both Quaker history and the larger contexts of women writers and feminism.