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This series consists of material, 1832-1869, that documents the life of religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch James Jesse Strang and the development of the Church of Jesus Christ (Strangites). Material related to the early life of Strang include a fragmentary diary and miscellany. Remaining material covers the period after Strang joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 1844 as well as his founding later that year of what became known as the Church of Jesus Christ (Strangites) and through his death in 1856. It includes substantial examples of his incoming correspondence and drafts of his outgoing correspondence as well as church documents including branch and conference reports. The incoming correspondence includes the "letter of appointment," June 18, 1844, attributed to Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which Strang and his followers believed designated him as the successor to Smith.