Description:

Strang James 1813 - 1856 James Strang, assassinated Mormon leader, involved in wagon lawsuit one year before being crowned king at Beaver Island

Single sheet of pale blue lined paper inscribed in black ink, signed by assassinated Mormon leader James J. Strang, Justice of the Peace William P. Lyons, and Strangite acolyte Roswell Packard. "James J. Strang" is marked firmly and clearly, with several areas of concentrated ink around first and last letters of signature. Appeal bond dated July 11, 1849 from Racine County, WI embossed with seal of "C.P. Barnes, Notary Public, Racine, Co. Wisconsin" at lower left. Docket verso again signed by William P. Lyons. Sheet measuring 7.875" x 10.625" in fine condition showing expected wear including isolated toning, fold marks, and light ink bleed through at top.

This document relates to a contentious lawsuit waged in southeastern Wisconsin between April and October 1849, between plaintiff John N. Archer and defendants James Strang and John Cole. Most of the original documents relating to the Archer-Strang case are found in 25 folders in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University. In April 1849, John Archer requested the return of a two-horse wagon (appraised at $20-30) that he had previously allocated for use by James Strang and his religious followers. Despite Strang's resistance, Archer's wagon was returned to him under several writs of replevin later that spring and on July 2, 1849, a jury presided over by Justice of the Peace William P. Lyons settled in favor of the plaintiff, awarding 6 cents of damages. Our document is the appeal bond submitted by the defendants nine days after the ruling. Strang and Cole's attempt to reverse the jury's decision was unsuccessful, as BYU archival material indicates that their appeal was finally dismissed in October 1849.

The document begins: "We James J. Strang and Roswell Packard acknowledge ourselves to owe and be indebted unto John N. Archer in the sum of one hundred dollars to be levied of our several goods and chattles [sic] lands and tenements to the use of said Archer ... " It continues: "Wheras the said James J. Strang has appealed from this judgement of William P. Lyons Justice of the Peace rendered the 2d day of July AD 1849 in an action between John N. Archer plaintiff and James J. Strang and John Cole defendants. Now the said defendant James J. Strang shall prosecute his appeal with all due diligence to a judgment in the Circuit Court". The document concludes that if the defendants' appeal is rejected, they in turn will be responsible for paying for expenses incurred during that legal process.

James J. Strang (1813-1856) was no stranger to conflict often instigated by his own powerful personality and alienating convictions. Strang was originally a New York Baptist, but joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints shortly before church founder Joseph Smith's murder in 1844. Several influential Mormons competed to fill the power vacuum left by Smith's death, including recent recruit James Strang. Whereas Brigham Young led his faction followers to Utah, and Sidney Rigdon established a community in Pennsylvania, "Strangites", as they were called, settled on Beaver Island in northern Michigan around 1848. Strang was a polarizing leader who endorsed controversial ideas like the rejection of the Trinity, theocracy, and polygamy. (Indeed, the leader would marry his second concurrent wife Elvira Eliza Field two days after he appeared in William P. Lyon's court on July 11, 1849.) Almost a year later, Strang would be crowned "king" at Beaver Island, and almost seven years to the day he would be dead. Strang was shot in June 1856 by several disenchanted followers and died three weeks later.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000