Strang's claim was bolstered by his discovery of the Voree Plates, purporting to contain the last testament of an ancient Native American, one " Rajah Manchou of Vorito ".

* Voree Plates

* The Voree Plates A detailed description of the " Voree Plates " and the story behind them, from a Strangite point of view.

* The Revelations of James J. Strang contains text of " Letter of Appointment ", together with translation of the " Voree Plates " and other revelations given by Strang.

To bolster his claims, Strang published translations of two purportedly long-lost works: the Voree Record, deciphered from three metal plates reportedly unearthed in response to a vision ; and the Book of the Law of the Lord, supposedly transcribed from the Plates of Laban mentioned in The Book of Mormon.

One former Strangite claimed that Strang's law partner conspired with Strang to fabricate his Letter of Appointment and the Voree Plates, though no proof of this was ever produced.

The non-Mormon Christopher Sholes – inventor of the typewriter and editor of a local newspaper – perused Strang's " Voree Plates ", a minuscule brass chronicle Strang said he had been led to by a vision in 1845.

The Voree Plates disappeared around 1900, and their current whereabouts are unknown.

** The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( Strangite ), similarly asserts that the finding and translation of the Plates of Laban, also known as the Brass Plates, into the Book of the Law of the Lord and Voree plates by James Strang, One Mighty and Strong, establishes the existence of God.

" Post equally observed that the brass used in the Voree Plates seemed indistinguishable to him from the French brass used in ordinary tea kettles.

Strang's published translation of the Voree Plates reads as follows:

Some have insisted that the Voree Plates were forged by Strang.

The Voree Plates remained with his family, until they disappeared sometime around 1900.

The Voree Plates seem to be definitely written in an unknown alphabet.

Comparison of the script used in the coded portions of Strang's diary and the script used on the Voree Plates shows remarkable similarities between the two.

Furthermore, this same site alleges that a second non-Mormon scholar, Robert Madison, concluded in his 1990 A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of James J. Strang's Voree Plates that the text on the plates appears to represent a genuine, albeit unknown, language, and that Strang's translation appeared to be " a superb ( if poetic ) rendition of that text into English.

* The Voree Plates Strangite site containing a large reproduction of the Voree Plates, with translation and other information.

They also lent credence to his claim that Voree, not Utah, was to be the new " gathering place " of the Latter Day Saints.

" Strang published his translation of these plates as the " Voree Record ," purporting to be the last testament of one " Rajah Manchou of Vorito ," who had lived in the area centuries earlier and wished to leave a brief statement for posterity.

In September 1845, he announced the discovery of the Voree Record, the final testament of an ancient Native American engraved on three brass plates dug up near Voree, Wisconsin, his headquarters at the time.

During this time he heard about the alleged discovery of the Voree Record, a set of three minuscule brass plates unearthed by James J. Strang, a would-be successor to the murdered Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Jr .. Strang asserted that this proved that he was a true prophet of God, and he invited the public to call upon him and see the plates for themselves.

Sholes accordingly visited Strang, examined his " Voree Record ," and wrote an article about their meeting.

The LDS Church and the Community of Christ, the two largest factions of the Latter Day Saint movement, each reject James Strang's claims to prophetic leadership and his " Voree Record.

According to a Strangite website, one Derek J. Masson, a non-Mormon scholar, reportedly argued in an unpublished 1977 paper: A Comparison of the Voree Record with Some Eastern Scripts that Strang's translation was sound.

These plates were found in the so-called Hill of Promise, which would become the temple site in the new Strangite town of Voree.

Rigdon, Young and Marks were later joined by a fourth claimant, James J. Strang of Voree, Wisconsin, who claimed that Smith had sent him a letter designating him as his successor.

This text contains his purported " Letter of Appointment " from Smith and his translation of the Voree plates.

The Voree plates measured approximately 2. 5 inches long, and between 1. 25 and 1. 5 inches wide.

Four of the six sides of the Voree plates contained text written in an unknown script.

According to one authoritative source, there may have been text translated from the Voree plates that Strang never chose to make public.

* Voree plates

Most recently a facsimile reprint was produced for the church at Voree, Wisconsin by Richard Drew in 1993.

After Strang was shot by two disgruntled members in 1856, he was taken to Voree where he died.

The first newspaper in the Burlington area was the Voree Herald, published in Voree in January 1846 by James Strang, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( Strangite ).

James J. Strang's church in Voree suffered a significant schism in 1849, led by former follower Aaron Smith.

Invited by Strang to join him in Voree, Bennett was instrumental in establishing a so-called " Halcyon Order of the Illuminati " there, with Strang as its " Imperial Primate.

" mentioned by Strang in The Diamond – helped Strang fabricate this letter and the Voree Plates, though no proof of this was ever produced.

From 1844 to 1850, the town of Voree, just to the west of Burlington, was the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( Strangite ), one of many sects founded during the succession crisis following the death of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr ..

The community of Voree, home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( Strangite ), is located just outside the city.

* James Strang, founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( Strangite ) from Voree, on the outskirts of Burlington.

Because the high price of land in the Voree area made it difficult for Latter Day Saints to " gather " there, Strang moved his church headquarters to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.

Strang's church was originally centered in Voree, Wisconsin, just outside present-day Burlington, which his " Letter of Appointment " named as the new " gathering place " for the Latter Day Saints.