GLADYS BUSBY

The following bio was taken from page 138 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Shirley Koym

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

I am Gladys Busby. My parents were John Howard Waller and Mary Elvie Waller, first cousins. John Howard was a son of David Henry Waller and Martha Jane Williams. David Henry’s parents were Jonas Memory Waller, Sr. and Martha Washington Emmerson of Virginia. They came with their children to Rusk County, near Oak Hill. They owned a large farm. Martha Jane’s parents were Henry and Irene Williams. Mary Elvie was a daughter of John Burel Waller and Mary Varnon Waller. As a small girl, Mary came to Texas by boat. Her father died and was buried at sea. Later, her mother married Elliot Barton.

My parents were farmers living at Crims Chapel. Eleven children were born to them. Only six lived to be adults. My father died in his early forties when I was only five years old, leaving Mother to finish raising six children. My oldest brother, Ernest did not know much about farming. He took over the responsibilities of a father to the rest of us.

In December of that year we moved to the home my parents had bought about two miles from where I was born. Times were very hard for us and it was difficult to buy groceries. I remember when I was six years old, we needed groceries. Mr. Tate, who ran a country store, let us have groceries by picking cotton for his son. From a

flour sack Mother made me a sack to pick cotton in. We walked a mile to the field. I would pick my sack full and Ernest would empty it in his sack each time. We all grew up and had our own farm and cattle. We canned, dried fruit and made our own peanut butter. I made our laundry soap and washed our clothes on a rub board. My brothers owned a blacksmith shop. I worked in the field and in the shop.

I went to school at Crims Chapel where Annie Busby was my first teacher and her husband, Henry Busby, was my last teacher. Our family began to leave home one at a time. Mother’s health failed and I had to quit grade school to take care of her and my youngest sister. I still worked in the fields and did the washing and kept house. Finally I was left alone to care for my mother and my sister for eighteen or twenty years, until Mother’s death. I also helped with Ernest during his illness. I made almost all of our clothes out of feed sacks and our sheets and pillowcases out of feed and fertilizer sacks.

After Mother’s death I was disabled and could not hold a regular job. I worked in the field for neighbors and sewed and quilted to help make my living. I also raised cows and chickens. Later I married Otto Lafayette Busby and moved to the Pirtle Community. We never had any children but were very happy together. We farmed and raised cows and chickens. Then Otto became disabled. Fortunately oil and gas came in on our property. During Otto’s illness I took care of him for several years, day and night, until his death on March 23, 1980. I hope to live out my life here in our home.

Submitted by Gladys Waller Busby