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Ries and Annie Walder had 17 children of which 7 did not survive past infancy and early childhood. Here are the stories of the remaining 10 children of whom we all are descendants of. You may click on a name to go directly to their story or just scroll down and read them all.
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Thank you and please enjoy.
Mary Maude Ries Jr Ira Blanch
John Eddie Clara Charles Ellis
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Mary Lu Walder-Green
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Near the banks of the Savannah River in Burke County, Georgia, Ries and Annie Walder greeted their first-born child, Mary Lu on February 27, 1882. She was the eldest of 17 children.
Mary Lu received the best education that could be obtained at that time. Being born into a religious home, naturally, Christianity became a vital part of her life, and she united with the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church at a very early age.
While still young, she took the hand of Horace Green in holy wedlock in 1897. To this union, 12 children were born; seven preceeded her in death.
In 1910 the family moved from Georgia to Boley, Oklahoma. Since the Greens were farmers, they were in search for good farmland; therefore, they moved to I.X.L. community and from there to Clayton Chapel, where they were successful in carrying out their plans. They were successful farmers.
They lived there for many years. While there, Mary Lu united with the Aaron Chapel A.M.E. Church. In the latter part of her life they moved to the Chileville community. She moved her membership to Chiles Chapel A.M.E. church. She continued her Christian mission under the guidance of Rev. Walter Williams, a son-in-law. She was interested in all church work, but showed a special interest in Sunday School and missionary work. She continued working in church until misfortune came her way in the form of a broken leg in 1965. Mrs. Green was a devoted wife and loving mother. She was admired by her neighbors. Death came as no surprise to her on Friday, January 29, 1971, at 1:00 p.m. She left saddened by her homegoing five children: two daughters; Annie Culver (Phoenix, AZ) and Bride Williams (Boley, OK); three sons: Homer and Earnest, both of Los Angeles, CA and Ira, of Boley, Oklahoma; four brothers: Ira, Charles, and Ellis Walder, all of Los Angeles, CA and Eddie, of Bakersfield, CA; 49 grandchildren, 113 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild as well as many friends and other relatives. Her favorite song was "There is Sunshine in my Soul".
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Maude Walder-Kirkland
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Maude Walder met Henry Floyd Kirkland, a native of Garfield, Georgia, and married in 1902. They were blessed with nine children. Mom and Pops, as they were called by the family, left Georgia in 1911 and traveled by train to Weleetka, Oklahoma. It was in Oklahoma that Pops did some sharecropping and became a self-employed storekeeper.
Mom assisted Pops in the fields and raised their nine children. In 1929, during the depression, Mom and Pops left Oklahoma along with other relatives and traveled by truck to California. Their first stop was Los Angeles, where they briefly stayed and then continued on to a small community, named "Weed Patch" by Pops.
Later the name of Weed Patch was changed to Pumskin Center with no record of Pops naming the city due to racism at the time. He later moved his family to Bakersfield, CA, and settled there. Once again he became a self-employed storekeeper with an adjacent secondhand furniture store. It was here that Pops organized The Church of the Living God (C.W.F.F.)
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Ries Walder, Jr.
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Ries was the third child and eldest son of Annie and Ries, Sr. He was born in Georgia. In 1910 the family moved to Oklahoma. Ries was better known as Uncle Sun. Not sure of the date he moved to California, but settled in Imperial Valley, California. The land was very fertile. Ries, Jr. was a farmer. He also worked in the papermill.
He married Addie Bell, and to this union was born Alma. Annie Bell died around the later part of 1917. He later married and had another daughter, Alberta.
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Ira Walder
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Ira was the fourth child born to Ries and Annie Walder on December 9, 1892, in Milean, Georgia, where he grew up. Not much is known about Ira's life while in Georgia except that he worked as a farmhand. One day, while on his way to meet a young lady friend in the next town, Ira stopped at the Turner home to visit and rest. It was late and night was rapidly approaching. The Turners invited him to spend the night and continue his journey the next day. It was here he met Rosa Lee Turner. They were married on month later and were married for 50 years until her death in 1963. In 1923 Ira and Rosa moved to California where Ira worked in Imperial Valley as an irrigationist. They moved to Los Angeles in 1925 where Ira worked as a landscape assistant. During this time he assisted in planting trees which still stand as silent monuments to his life. He helped plant the palm trees in front of the Catholic Church on Adams & Figueroa. Later, Ira found more steady work at the Matson Ironworks. Ira and Rosie had 11 children. Three were stillborn. Ira, jr. died a year after his birth, and the remaining children were:
Annie (Anna) Lou (1916 - 1998)
Essie (1918 - 1985)
Ries (1919 - 2004)
Ernest (1921 - 1999)
Ruth (1924 - ______) California
Dora B. (1926 - 2002)
Clarence (1932 - _______) Mesa, AZ
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Blanch Walder-Johnson
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Blanche Walder was born in Macon County, Georgia, in 1894 to Annie and Ries Walder. The family first moved to Boley, Oklahoma, and later settled in Weleetka, Oklahoma.
Blanche married Benjamin Franklin Johnson in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma. They made their home in Weleetka in the early 1900's farming cotton and corn. In 1914, Blanche gave birth to Willie, their first of ten children. An additional six children: Ollie, Ellis, Maude, Ann Marie, Eddie and Ernestine, were also born while the family lived in Weleetka. Between 1919 and 1920 the family moved to Kansas City and later back to Boley, Oklahoma. In September 1926 the family moved to Coyle and three more children were added to the family: Roscoe, Lonnie and Emma. Grandma Blanche was a homemaker and Benjamin Franklin primarily farmed cotton, potatoes and peanuts.
On September 27, 1934, the entire Johnson family, including one son-in-law, Nelson "Bus" Hughes (Ollie's husband), one granddaughter, Lucille, and one family friend, Johnny Lindsey, set out for California on a 1927 Ford flatbed truck. The family worked various jobs during their journey, including working in the forestry and sawmill and thrashing beans. In late October, they arrived in Arvin, California, and settled there for a short period of time. They later moved to the Panama area of Bakersfield, where they farmed 40 acres of cotton.
In 1937 the family moved to the Bakersfield city limits and built their home at the South Brown Street location. Ben and Blanche remained at this location until Ben's death in December 1972. It was at this time that Blanche moved in with their daughter Ernestine. Due to health issues, she was later placed in Shady Manor Convalescent Hospital until her death in December 1982.
The Johnson family has resided in and around Bakersfield for approximately seven decades.
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John Walder
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John was born in Georgia to Ries and Annie Walder. According to the census of April 13, 1910, Blanche was 15 and John was 13. Twelve days after the census, John was 14. The family moved to Boley, Oklahoma in 1910. The final move was to California. John married and had 2 sons; Cardell and John Charles. John had a motorhome which he would load up and take his kids to visit his sister Clara (Aunt Doll). He loved to bar-b-que and he passed that trade to both of his sons. He also had a special recipe. John loved to fish and hunt.
John went coon hunting in Oklahoma and that’s where he met his misfortune. He fell out of a tree. John died in 1962. His granddaughter, Barbara Newton (California) remembers him as Pops, a loving grandfather. He has a granddaughter-in-law, Harriet (West Covina).
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Eddie Walder
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Eddie Walder was born in Georgia. He moved to Oklahoma with his family in 1910. Eddie had a daughter named Priscilla that died on the way to California. Eddie loved to hunt and fish. He died August 3, 1971. His wife Deliah died in 2002 in Bakersfield California.
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Clara "Aunt Doll" Walder-Lawrence
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Clara Walder "Aunt Doll" was born on March 25, 1901, in Macon County, Georgia. She was married to Calvin Alexander Lawrence, who was born in Georgia on June 20, 1888. Macon County was created from Houston and Marion Counties December 14, 1837, with a population of approximately 5,045. By 1900 the population had grown to 14,093. Macon County was at its peak in 1920 with 17,667. By the year 2000 the population had dropped to 14,074.
During World War II, many families were migrating from the South to the North, and Clara and her family were no exception. Around 1941, together with some of her siblings, Clara and her family moved to Bakersfield and Los Angeles, California. It is not clear why Calvin remained in Oklahoma. He moved to Bakersfield some years later to be with his family and opened a barber shop in town. It is told that the barbershop was a thriving business. Family members went on a regular basis to get their hair cut by Grandpa Calvin.
Clara provided for her family by working as a housekeeper. She was well liked and known for her hard work on her job as well as for her family. She loved cooking those "good ole Southern" meals, and her hospitality was always extended to friends and family. It was believed Clara was predestined to be a caregiver, because throughout her life she always took care of sick loved ones in her home. When Calvin became very ill, she took care of him until his death in 1944. She also tended to her fathers needs until his passing 1950. She also took care of some of her siblings when they became ill.
The family didn't have much when they came to California, so they all settled into a two-bedroom house on Clyde street. It was a very small house with no indoor plumbing. The toilet facility was an outhouse in the backyard, and the water was retrieved from a fountain outside.
Calvin was 13 years Clara's senior when they married around 1916 in Bookertee, Oklahoma. Together they had seven children: Elijah (4/29/1919 - 10/6/1970), Charles (8/15/21 - 11/7/04), Delilah (Barkus) (2/8/1923 - 4/9/1950), Amanda (11/7/1924 - 3/9/1995), Lois (Brazil (5/25/1926 - 1/28/1999), Lugene (Stephens (3/29/1928 - 7/20/1992) and Ruby (3/5/1930 - 3/22/1956).
They later moved into a three bedroom home on Madison Street. This was truly a blessing, because not only did they have an additional bedroom, the house had indoor plumbing and a bathroom inside the house!
Clara lost two of her children, Delilah and Ruby, when they were in their mid-twenties to illness and tragedy. This must have been an emotionally devastating time for the family, but Clara obtained strength from the Lord to overcome the unfortunate circumstances and continue to surpass the challenges of life.
Clara was blessed to live to the ripe old age of 95. She was the last surviving child of Ries and Annie Walder. She passed away in 1996.
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Charles Walder
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Charles was born in Georgia. He was seven when the family moved to Oklahoma. He was known as Uncle Sun. His wife was named Eva. They lived in Los Angeles, California. His primary job was in the automotive field. He loved to hunt and fish. His passion was taking pictures. He owned a movie camera. He never went anywhere without his camera. It is said by family members that he made the best eggnog with his two brothers Uncle Dud (Eddie) and John.>(Back to top)
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Ellis Walder
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Ellis was the baby of the family. He was about 4 years old when the family moved to Oklahoma. The whole clan of the Walders eventually located in California. He was married to Annie Love. During the war he was a chef on the ship. Ellis had no children. He also worked for the papermill. Ellis died on Christmas Day 1978.
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