RONDA WALLER

The following bio was taken from page 426 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Ronda Waller, born October 4, 1881, son of David Henry Waller and Martha Jane Wesley Williams, lived in Rusk County all his life. On December 2, 1908 he married Eunice Barton, born February 22, 1891, daughter of Elliott and Ellen Barton. Ronda and his brother Vince married sisters, Eunice and Cordie Barton.

Ronda was a farmer, planting cotton, corn, tomatoes, sugar cane, and watermelons. He was also a trapper. He had horses and worked as a road contractor.

Ronda and Eunice’s children are as follows: Marion, born November, 1909, who married Leona Rowe and has one son, Carnell; Willis, born December 12, 1910, who married Sybil Young and has three children--Woodrow, Ronda, and Frankie; Irene, born March 6, 1912, who married Lark Watson and has four children: Everett, Erskin, Gerald, and Patsy. Crawford, born October 27, 1913, who married Frances Young and has three children—Barbara, James and Linda Kay; Arnold, born October 31, 1922, who married

LaVerl Quattlebaum; Evelyn, born June 28, 1924, who married Eliseo Banda and has one son, Leon, and a daughter, Elizabeth; Jake, born January 2, 1927; Rayford, born July 21,1930, who married Betty Lee and has two children, Lee Ann and Andrew, and later married Cora Ross; Laverne, born August 26, 1933, who married Mary Frances Burnett and has a son, Barry; and Elsie, born May 18, 1935, who married J.C. Bradley and has three children--Glen Laura, and Larry. All these sons and daughters went to school at Crims Chapel. The boys played basketball on a gravel court. The girls played basketball in bloomers. They walked to school until in later years Crims Chapel was consolidated with Henderson.

Everyone knew everyone back then. When a beef was butchered, they would put it in the wagon and go around to the neighbors and give them meat.

Then the oil field came in and a lot of new people moved into the country. One daughter, Evelyn, remembers exactly where she was walking, on her way home from school, when the London School exploded. She said the earth shook. Fun time for these children was taking the cotton to the gin. This was also the time they bought candy. Election Day was also an exciting day. The whole family went to the courthouse lawn to wait for the returns.

Ronda and Eunice had four sons who served in the U.S. Navy in World War II; Arnold, Laverne, Crawford, and Rayford. One son, Jake, served in the U.S. Army. One grandson, General Gearld Watson, served in Vietnam, and another, Erskin, served in the Air Force.

Ronda died October 8, 1965 and is buried in Crims Chapel Cemetery. Eunice died on March 22, 1978 and is also buried in Crims Chapel Cemetery.

Marion Waller ran a country store in Crims Chapel for many years. The old Waller home is still in the family. Marion, Laverne, and Evelyn still live in the community.

Another brother of Ronda and Vinson Waller, John has a son, Clarence Waller, who also lives in the community. He used to run a blacksmith shop. When the well was dug at Crims Chapel School, coal was found. They burned the coal in the blacksmith shop.

Submitted by the Waller Family.