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Show "Strangite" Movement of Century Ago Recalled In News Clippings of New York Paper Early L. D. S. church members, and those of the present-day who delve into religious history, are familiar with the so-called "Strangite" movement of a century cen-tury ago, and with the story of its founder, James J. Strang, only king produced in this country north of Mexico and one who might have been a potential L.D.S. leader, had he been able to control con-trol selfish motives. Little has been written of the Strangites over a long period, but recently Mrs. Erwin Waite of Washington, a descendent of the Strang line, received clippings from a Jamestown, N. Y., paper, giving the story as compiled by James F. Fowler, also a Strang descendent, who has made extensive ex-tensive research, and claims King Strang's name was really Jesse James Strang, and that Strang and Jesse James of outlaw fame, were of the same ancestral line. Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Waite were converted to Mormonism three years ago in Lancaster, Calif., and have since spent time in Jamestown James-town doing genealogical research. They brought these clippings in the News office at the suggestion of others. The story is intensely interesting. Born March, 1813 Jesse James Strang was born March 21, 1813, was shot June 16, 1856, by two of his rebelious subjects as he was about to board the U. S. steamer Michigan at Beaver Island harbor, and died July 9, 1856, bringing to a close a brief but hectic career. His father, Henry De L'Strang, who accompanied the Duke of York in his conquest of New Amsterdam, Amster-dam, his' desoendents settling in the vicinity of Rye, N. Y. His mother was Abigail James, believed be-lieved to have descended from the lines of Roger Williams and Oliver Cromwell. His grandfather, Gabriel Strang, was a private in the Revolutionary army, and lived from 1788 to 1880, spending his last several years at the Fowler home. The Strangs have a wealth of historic material in their own possession, including a daugero-type daugero-type of Jesse James Strang and a family Bible with death and birth records, besides having turned much over to the Chautauqua Chau-tauqua County Historical Society, including the death mask of King Strang. Because of conditions those days, Jesse James Strang receivea only six months schooling until he was grown up, then he attended at-tended the Forestville, N. Y., academy. On the side, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He practiced law, taught school, lectured, ran a newspaper and at various times was postmaster. He was reported as a keen and ready debater, a brilliant orator, ' and won attention with his crisp newspaper news-paper articles. A contemporary said, "his words came out in a torrent," swaying his audiences, and he could work himself into emotional spells at will, either with tears or laughter. Moved To Wisconsin In Jan. 1844, he moved to Burlington, Wis., entering a law partnership with Judge C. Y. Barnes. Shortly after he visited Nauvoo, 111., and immediately became be-came intimate with Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, was baptized bap-tized Feb. 25, 1844, and six days later ordained as an elder of the church and authorized to "plant a stake of Zion in Wisconsin". Four months later, June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith was shot to death by a mob at Carthage jail, where he had been incarcerated, and after hearing of his death, Strang set up claims as the Prophet's successor, even producing a letter, which was purported to have been written by Joseph Smith, authorizing author-izing him to establish Zion in Wisconsin. When it came to a vote of the Twelve Apostles, nine voted for Bringham Young, who led the pioneers to Utah; but three sided with Strang who gathered his followers to Spring Prairie, Wis., where he established the City of Vooree on the basis of community ownership of all property. Strang also produced metal plates from which he made translations with a "Urim and Thummin", which he received following a trance, and in other ways sought to establish 1 his right to leadership and revelation. revel-ation. He and his followers were persecuted and eventually in May, 1S47, settled on Beaver Island, the largest in Lake Michigan, and set up their future home. In 1850, the City of St. James was established estab-lished as headquarters, the group organizing as a Kingdom in July, 1S50, with Strang as their King. Was 'An Absolute Monarch' The story says, "He was perhaps per-haps as absolute a monarch as has ever lived and his office included in-cluded not only the complete government gov-ernment of the people, but that of high priest, apostle, prophet, seer and revelator. He was the guide and lawgiver for both their spiritual and temporal welfare." The communal plan of living was abandoned, when the kingdom was organized, the lands being apportioned appor-tioned among the members and a system of tithes set up which paid public taxes, church obligations, obliga-tions, cared for the poor, paid school and general expenses, and for other services, such as debating de-bating clubs, not usually included in any public tax. Strang also set up a printing office called the "Royal Press", which printed his translations and revelations, and published the "Northern Islander", which was first a weekly and later a daily paper, also printing quantities of literature. The people erected an elaborate elabor-ate tabernacle, made extensive improvements, im-provements, including roads and docks and semingly prospered. King Strang was perhaps the first in this country to establish prohibition, pro-hibition, tea, coffee and tobacco, being included in the restrictions. Polygamy was permitted but not advised. The King had five wives. Other men were allowed three, provided the King was convinced they could support the added families. fam-ilies. Women's dress was also decided de-cided by his law. Twice Elected To Legislature King Strang was twice elected to the Michigan state legislature, fighting his way through the courts to retain his seat, defending defend-ing his own case, and winning much recognition for his brilliant bril-liant argument. He also mixed in national politics. But in spite of his brilliance and his capacity for leadership, his dream collapsed. At the end of six years his kingdom king-dom was disrupted, presumably through the influence of Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln's fiery opponent. op-ponent. Beaver Island was ransacked, ran-sacked, the people arrested, brought to Detroit for trial, and convicted of treason, and finally King Strang was killed by two members whom he had deposed from office for unfitness. Thus, instead of sharing the limelight with Brigham Young, which some have visualized as one-time possible, King Strang's desire for personal power as his eventual undoing. Although many of his followers later rejoined the L. D. S. church and came to Utah, their former leader and his exploits ex-ploits are scarcely remembered, and his once shining kingdom has vanished. Mr. and Mrs. Waite are indebted in-debted to a friend in the library of Jamestown for the newspaper clippings which furnish the details de-tails of this story. |
