Old Dairies

[Marcia (Myers) Allen]

I am reading my mother's dairies and came across an entry R C A meeting that was held in Howard KS.  This entry was January 24, 1949.  Does anyone know what R C A stood for?

[Wake-up!]

RCA, among other things, stands for Reformed Church in America. I do not know if there ever was one in Howard. By the 20th century the reformed church had absorbed many of the earlier reformed churches initially organized by Dutch and Palatine German refugees coming to America in the 18th century.

It is a small church today with a small membership. The RCA confesses several statements of doctrine and faith, including the historic Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed; the traditional Reformed Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism (with its compendium), the Canons of Dort, and the Belhar Confession. Please don't ask me what all that means. I included it because it may help you decipher your Mother's diary.

Hopefully a few of the local history buffs can tell you whether or not the RCA was in Howard in 1949.

[W. Gray]

There is no mention of a Reformed Church of America or a reformed church in Howard in the Elk County history book.

If she was a rodeo woman, RCA might mean Rodeo Cowboys Association which is a shortened acronym for Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

[Marcia (Myers) Allen]

I do not think it stood for Reformed Church in America.  It was some meeting my Dad attended and he did not go to church.  He was basically a farmer and had cattle.  The Rodeo Cowboys Association might be it.  I thought it should be something to do with cattle.