---
title: The First American Jewish Woman Novelist
description: "Cora Wilburn’s \"Cosella Wayne,\" published serially in 1860 and never before published as a book, is both the first novel written and published in English by an American Jewish woman writer and the first coming-of-age novel to depict Jews in the United States."
image: https://hubs.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202020-10-28%20at%203.33.12%20PM.png
---

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# Watch The First American Jewish Woman Novelist: The Story of Cora Wilburn and her Novel, "Cosella Wayne"

Cora Wilburn’s "Cosella Wayne," published serially in 1860 and never before published as a book, is both the first novel written and published in English by an American Jewish woman writer and the first coming-of-age novel to depict Jews in the United States. Set in the 1840s, it opens up a whole world of which we know little: a world of crooked gem dealers who traveled to exotic places, like Australia, India, and Venezuela, visiting Jews in each one; a world where a Jewish child might be “rescued” from her non-Jewish father so that it could be raised by Jewish parents; a world where a Jewish “father” molested his daughter; and a world where that daughter took solace in the new, heavily female movement known as Spiritualism, becoming for a time among its best-known writers. The story of Cora Wilburn—who lived for many years in the Boston area—as well as the story behind that story, form the subject of this lecture.

 

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The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) at New England Historic Genealogical Society is a destination for exploring and preserving the histories of Jewish families and institutions in New England and beyond. The JHC engages historians, genealogists, partner organizations, and the general public in the study of Jewish history, culture, and legacies through its extensive archival collections, educational programs, exhibits, and public events.

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