“If evil befall me, thou shalt lead the flock to pleasant pastures.” — Letter of Appointment¹

After Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, James J. Strang claimed that Joseph had designated him as his successor through a letter dated June 18, 1844.² This letter, allegedly written by Joseph Smith, was postmarked in Nauvoo on June 19, 1844.³ It described a vision in which God commanded Strang to gather the Saints in Voree, Wisconsin.⁴

Despite skepticism over the letter's authenticity, Strang used it to assert his leadership. Some Latter-day Saints, including Martin Harris, supported Strang's claim.⁵ However, his claim was contested by prominent church leaders like Brigham Young. Young called the letter a "notorious forgery", stating that any man who knew Joseph would recognize that, in part due to the printed nature of the characters within the letter and an incorrect signature.⁶ In 1950, handwriting analysis of the signature on the letter declared it to be a "manifest forgery".³

1. Joseph Smith, attributed, "Letter of Appointment,” Yale University Library Digital Collection

2. “Strang, James Jesse,” josephsmithpapers.org;

3. Robert P. Weeks, “For His Was The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory … Briefly,” American Heritage, June 1970 Volume 21 Issue 4

4. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 45, 567

5. Robin Scott Jensen, A Witness in England: Martin Harris and the Strangite Mission, Page 5

6. Robin Scott Jensen, Gleaning the Harvest: Strangite Missionary Work, 1846-1850, Page 6, Footnote 17