Bertha Scott Herndon was born in Wake County, NC on June 5, 1907.  Bertha was the daughter of Aaron Scott and Corriner Ross and the granddaughter of Aaron and Dillia Scott. Her maternal grandparents were Jim and Mary Ross.  She received her elementary education from Scott’s Grove School in Wake County. In 1929 she graduated from Hillside Highschool, Durham, NC. She attended North Carolina Central University, North Carolina A&T University, and received a Bachelor of Art’s degree from Shaw University.

Garland and Bertha’s marriage blessed them with three children: Erseldine b. 1935, Leon Walker b. 1938, and Kathleen b. 1940. In addition to their children, Garland and Bertha were
surrogate parents to Jasper, George, and James Wilson, Leroy and Lemon Shepherd, Leotha Harrington and Otis Herndon. They were also surrogate grandparents to Caroline, Allison, and
Joyce Shepherd.

Along with being a great mother and wife, Bertha was a person who recognized the value of  education and knowledge; she continued to strive for excellence and instilled the value of
education in everyone she touched. She dedicated thirty-eight years to teaching elementary school education in many schools in the Chatham County School System (Clark School, Hinton,
Beckwith, Haywood School in Mouncure, Horton School in Pittsboro and concluded her career at Pittsboro Primary). Besides school and family, Bertha always managed to place God first by committing herself to church activities as well.

After thirty-one years of marriage, Garland began to struggle with an illness and passed away on May 3 rd , 1965 at age 52. Bertha grieved the loss of her husband and continued her Christian journey by working at school and church. She filled her life with several ministries which included Gospel and Senior Choirs, Deaconess, Sunday School Teacher, Pastor’s Aide, and Bible Study. She was actively involved with the New Hope Association and its auxiliaries. Bertha also was affiliated with the Silver Leaf Chapter #140 Order of Eastern Star and the United Order of Tents #428.

Garland’s wife, Bertha Scott Herndon followed him to glory thirty-seven years later on November 1, 2002, at the age of 95. They are buried together in the White Oak Cemetery in
Apex, NC.