“What a Queer Girl Frank Willard Is!”

Abstract This chapter continues Frances Willard’s story into her late teens, as she moved to the town that became her permanent home: Evanston, Illinois. Pursuing her education at North-Western Female College, Willard wrestled with questions pertaining to her future and her Christian faith. The chapter spotlights how Willard was drawn into the theological rhythms of mid-nineteenth-century Methodism, particularly coming from the United States’ largest Protestant denomination, the Methodist Episcopal Church. Influenced by prominent church leaders Phoebe Palmer and Matthew Simpson, Willard somewhat reluctantly embraced Christianity by her early twenties. Even as she made the decision to become a Christian, Willard remained captivated by an array of intellectual sources, including the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller.