Conant, Mrs. J. H. (18311875)
American medium who, through the generosity of Luther
Colby, editor of The Banner of Light, gave, for the last 17 years
of her life, free public séances in Boston. Her trance messages,
characterized by the impersonation of the departed, were published
weekly in the Banner.
Conant was known in Spiritualist circles as both an inspirational
speaker and a platform healer. For her medical diagnosis
the medium relied on the spirit of Dr. John Dix Fisher, an
old Boston physician.
While in trance she believed herself to be outside her body
and wandering about, and on occasion her double was believed
to manifest through other mediums. She also wrote automatically
in trance, and reportedly spoke in many languages unknown
to her especially in various Indian dialects, an ability
known as xenoglossia.
Sources
Putnam, Allen, comp. Flashes of Light from the Spirit-Land.
Boston William White, 1872.
. Biography of Mrs. J. H. Conant. Boston W. White and
Co., 1873.
