Bertha H. Dougherty

1883-1969

American (New York, New York; Lyme, Connecticut)

Bertha Hurlbut was born in 1883, in Plainfield, New Jersey, and in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, the family was recorded living in Manhattan, New York. Bertha Grace Hurlbut Dougherty attended Vassar College and was an artist, a church worker, and an avid traveler. The family summered in Lyme, Connecticut.

Bertha married an Episcopal minister named Burt Dougherty, who had a parish in Glen Rigdge, New Jersey. They had two sons, one who was an Olympic athlete who died in the 1930s, and the other who was a vice president of Union Carbide. The Doughertys also summered in Lyme. She was a member of the Lyme Art Association and the Society of American Etchers. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Dougherty moved to "Old Town" Alexandria, Virginia and taught art classes. She became a mentor to many young woman artists.