Carrie Ester (Bonebrake) Simpson was born on November 1, 1879 in Knoxville, Iowa, the daughter of Peter Bonebrake and Jessie Fremont (Craddick) Bonebrake. She graduated from Cornell with an A.B. degree in 1903. In December of that same year, she married Howard Edwin Simpson. After their wedding, they departed for Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Howard earned a M.A. at Harvard University. In 1905, they moved to Waterville, Maine, where he had accepted a position at Colby College. While in Maine, their first child, Jessie Frances, was born on February 13, 1906. In 1909, Howard accepted an assistant professorship of geology at the University of North Dakota. He served as a member of the North Dakota Geological Survey from 1910 to 1938. Their second child, Robert Bonebrake, was born on November 8, 1910. On January 11, 1915, their third child, Carolyn Cradock, was born. Howard Edwin Simpson, Jr., their final child, was born on June 27, 1917. Carolyn died in a tragic accident on July 25, 1919, in Grand Forks. Howard Simpson, Sr. died in January 1938, also in Grand Forks. Carrie Simpson was active in UND affairs and women's groups. She was the first woman president of the University Faculty Club in 1923. She served in many organizations, including: the Franklin Club, Parent Teachers Association, League of Women Voters, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Y.W.C.A. She wrote a book review column in the Grand Forks Herald for many years, worked at the library in 1938-1939 and taught courses in the UND English Department in 1946-1947. She chaired the 75th anniversary celebration of the Methodist Church in Grand Forks. It was her work with P.E.O., a women's educational organization, for which she is best known. She helped to organize the Grand Forks branch, Chapter D, and served as its first president, in 1913. She helped organize a statewide chapter in 1914. She served as North Dakota State President (1916-1917), and as nationwide President of Supreme Chapter (1943-1945). Carrie Bonebrake Simpson died February 25, 1964.
From the description of Papers, 1914-1964. (University of North Dakota). WorldCat record id: 23745839
