Family Associations and Publications

The Reynolds Family Association

Marilyn J. Newton, Executive Vice President/Registrar
2240 130th Street
Winterset, IA 50273-8479
(515) 834-2068

Membership Dues are $10.00 per year.
To access the web site, click The Reynolds Family Association
RFA has opened to the public two sections that were previously available only to members:
Reynolds Family Queries and The RFA Bookstore.

The Reynolds Family Association (RFA) was organized Aug 23, 1892 by some of the descendants of one of the early Connecticut families. In 1977 it was reorganized and incorporated. It maintains a membership of about 500 members per year. Membership is open to all individuals who are interested in any Reynolds family. The name Reynolds was (and is) spelled a variety of ways, including Raynolds, Rennels, Runnels, Reynoldson, MacReynolds, McReynolds and many others, all of which are included in RFA.

RFA, not affiliated with any other Reynolds family group, is not a genealogical society and is not a commercial research enterprise. It is just a group of people sharing the bond of belonging to the family of Reynolds and wishing to maintain its history for future generations. RFA functions and endures on the volunteer time and commitment of individual members. It has as its official purpose: to share genealogical information, promote recognition of a common ancestry, develop acquaintance among Reynolds kindred, and collect and maintain a permanent record of Reynolds family history for future generations.

RFA Publications

Reynolds Recollections
: The RFA newsletter, Reynolds Recollections, is the primary vehicle for dissemination of Reynolds family information. Available to members only, Reynolds Recollections is presently being published six times per year, and the subscription is included in the annual membership fee. With written permission of the members, RFA publishes, without cost, their queries in the newsletter.
1982 RFA Annual
: Annuals are used as a vehicle for continuing the publication of family records. The 1982 RFA Annual was the first one published since 1937.
The RFA Centennial Collection
: This collection, published in 1993, is 811 pages, hardbound and indexed. The publication contains most of the RFA genealogical material, including both new and updated information, except for that contained in the 1982 Annual.

RFA Archives
RFA, a membership corporation, searches its files for members only. This service is also included in the annual membership fee.

The Smouse Association of America

S. Clay Smouse, President
8210 Silo Court
Severn, MD 21144

No annual fee.
No web site.

This Association consists of descendants of the Schmauss family of German descent. Variations of this name include Smouse and Von Shmausen, Schmaus and Schmauss. The Association is mainly responsible for coordinating the Annual Smouse Reunion, and assimilating information for publication.

Smouse Reunion
The Reunion of the Smouse Family of America is held every August in Henrietta, Pennsylvania, the site of the first Smouse reunion in 1897.

The History of the Smouse Family of America 1738-1969
This book, written by J. Warren Smouse, contains an updated account of the 1908 Smouse History. Updates for a third book are currently being compiled by Roger Newman of Springfield, Ohio. J. Warren Smouse was able, through church records, to trace the family lineage back to 1281, "not a link being missed in the chain."

If you have information about the Smouse (Schmauss) family that you would like to contribute, please contact Roger Newman at his e-mail address: roger_newman@sbcglobal.net [updated March 5, 2005]