Reformed Church. Woman's Missionary Society. Synodical Classical Records

The Woman's Missionary Society was the women's organization of the Reformed Church in the United States. The records in this accession represent a number of the Synodical and Classical level societies and have been deposited in the archives at various times. The records were reprocessed by the archivist in 1993. A general history of the Women's Missionary Society is given in Ref. RG 1992.01. This accession consists of synodical and classical records. The earliest local society was begun by Mrs. Yockey in the church served by her husband in Xenia, Ohio, and classical and synodical societies followed even before the national organization was recognized. The first classical society met in 1883 in Illinois Classis, and the first synodical in Pittsburg Synod in 1886. All of these organizations continued to exist until their counterparts were formed in 1940-1941 under the Women's Guild of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. For the most part, there was no gap in the functioning of the societies, but there was reorganization to conform to the new Synods and Regions of the E&R Church. As might be expected, many of the same women continued in leadership roles, and the Guilds took up the same interests the Societies has espoused.