Bertha was the oldest daughter and one of fourteen children of Henry and Eva Simpson of New Brunswick, Canada. The Simpsons immigrated to the US in 1900 with their seven children and settled at Brockton, Mass. Her father was a carpenter and for a time owned a grocery store around 1910.
The seven younger children were all born in Brockton, where Henry worked as a carpenter and owned a grocery around 1910. Bertha and her siblings were raised by their parents in the huge, new England clapboard house at 535 Pleasant St., that was the Simpson family homestead for more than 50 years. Her father passed away in 1921; however, her mother, Eva, was the matriarch of a clan that numbered nearly 60 by 1945.
In 1918, Bertha married Charles Henry Pratt, a general mechanic. They originally lived in Brockton, where the first four of their five children were born: Charles Edward ("Ed") (born 1918), Elnora (born 1919), Roy (born 1921), Barbara (born 1926) and Robert (born 1935). Around 1935, the family moved to Newport, RI, when Charles went to work as a machinist at the Naval Torpedo Factory. Both of Bertha and Charles' two oldest sons served during WW2. Ed was in the Merchant Marine from April 1945 to August 1945. He graduated from the US Maritime Service School in January 1946 as a marine engineer and was commissioned an ensign.
His younger brother, Roy, enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was accepted into the naval aviation program. After flight school, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve and a Marine Aviator with fighter squadron VMF-223. He was lost at sea on 24 March 1945 while flying his FG-1D Corsair on a mission in the Philippines. Roy was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with two gold stars. Charles retired in 1958 from the Naval Torpedo factory and passed away in 1974. Despite the tragedy of losing one of her sons in WW2, Bertha had a long and full life, living until 1984 when she passed away at 91.
The seven younger children were all born in Brockton, where Henry worked as a carpenter and owned a grocery around 1910. Bertha and her siblings were raised by their parents in the huge, new England clapboard house at 535 Pleasant St., that was the Simpson family homestead for more than 50 years. Her father passed away in 1921; however, her mother, Eva, was the matriarch of a clan that numbered nearly 60 by 1945.
In 1918, Bertha married Charles Henry Pratt, a general mechanic. They originally lived in Brockton, where the first four of their five children were born: Charles Edward ("Ed") (born 1918), Elnora (born 1919), Roy (born 1921), Barbara (born 1926) and Robert (born 1935). Around 1935, the family moved to Newport, RI, when Charles went to work as a machinist at the Naval Torpedo Factory. Both of Bertha and Charles' two oldest sons served during WW2. Ed was in the Merchant Marine from April 1945 to August 1945. He graduated from the US Maritime Service School in January 1946 as a marine engineer and was commissioned an ensign.
His younger brother, Roy, enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was accepted into the naval aviation program. After flight school, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve and a Marine Aviator with fighter squadron VMF-223. He was lost at sea on 24 March 1945 while flying his FG-1D Corsair on a mission in the Philippines. Roy was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with two gold stars. Charles retired in 1958 from the Naval Torpedo factory and passed away in 1974. Despite the tragedy of losing one of her sons in WW2, Bertha had a long and full life, living until 1984 when she passed away at 91.
Bertha was the oldest daughter and one of fourteen children of Henry and Eva Simpson of New Brunswick, Canada. The Simpsons immigrated to the US in 1900 with their seven children and settled at Brockton, Mass. Her father was a carpenter and for a time owned a grocery store around 1910.
The seven younger children were all born in Brockton, where Henry worked as a carpenter and owned a grocery around 1910. Bertha and her siblings were raised by their parents in the huge, new England clapboard house at 535 Pleasant St., that was the Simpson family homestead for more than 50 years. Her father passed away in 1921; however, her mother, Eva, was the matriarch of a clan that numbered nearly 60 by 1945.
In 1918, Bertha married Charles Henry Pratt, a general mechanic. They originally lived in Brockton, where the first four of their five children were born: Charles Edward ("Ed") (born 1918), Elnora (born 1919), Roy (born 1921), Barbara (born 1926) and Robert (born 1935). Around 1935, the family moved to Newport, RI, when Charles went to work as a machinist at the Naval Torpedo Factory. Both of Bertha and Charles' two oldest sons served during WW2. Ed was in the Merchant Marine from April 1945 to August 1945. He graduated from the US Maritime Service School in January 1946 as a marine engineer and was commissioned an ensign.
His younger brother, Roy, enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was accepted into the naval aviation program. After flight school, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve and a Marine Aviator with fighter squadron VMF-223. He was lost at sea on 24 March 1945 while flying his FG-1D Corsair on a mission in the Philippines. Roy was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with two gold stars. Charles retired in 1958 from the Naval Torpedo factory and passed away in 1974. Despite the tragedy of losing one of her sons in WW2, Bertha had a long and full life, living until 1984 when she passed away at 91.
The seven younger children were all born in Brockton, where Henry worked as a carpenter and owned a grocery around 1910. Bertha and her siblings were raised by their parents in the huge, new England clapboard house at 535 Pleasant St., that was the Simpson family homestead for more than 50 years. Her father passed away in 1921; however, her mother, Eva, was the matriarch of a clan that numbered nearly 60 by 1945.
In 1918, Bertha married Charles Henry Pratt, a general mechanic. They originally lived in Brockton, where the first four of their five children were born: Charles Edward ("Ed") (born 1918), Elnora (born 1919), Roy (born 1921), Barbara (born 1926) and Robert (born 1935). Around 1935, the family moved to Newport, RI, when Charles went to work as a machinist at the Naval Torpedo Factory. Both of Bertha and Charles' two oldest sons served during WW2. Ed was in the Merchant Marine from April 1945 to August 1945. He graduated from the US Maritime Service School in January 1946 as a marine engineer and was commissioned an ensign.
His younger brother, Roy, enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was accepted into the naval aviation program. After flight school, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve and a Marine Aviator with fighter squadron VMF-223. He was lost at sea on 24 March 1945 while flying his FG-1D Corsair on a mission in the Philippines. Roy was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with two gold stars. Charles retired in 1958 from the Naval Torpedo factory and passed away in 1974. Despite the tragedy of losing one of her sons in WW2, Bertha had a long and full life, living until 1984 when she passed away at 91.
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