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Photo of Rev. William Bell Photo of Mrs. William Bell
Rev. William BellMary Black
1780-18571773-1861
           Rev. William Bell married Mary Black in North Leith, Scotland on 13th October 1802. She was born 14th November 1773 at Black Riggs, Shotts. She died at Perth, Ont. on 18th April 1861 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. Her parents were Andrew Black and Isabella Baird. This is the origin of Isabella as a first name for dozens of Canadian Bells.
           The Bells arrived in Perth from Scotland in 1817. He was the first Presbyterian minister in Perth and the first teacher. His book "Hints to Emigrants" was published in 1824 and is a seminal work regarding the first settlers of Lanark County. The full text of this book, complete with charts, has been scanned by Rupert Speyer, g-g-g-grandson of the Bells, and is available on the LCGS website. These two photographs are from an album of about 100 Bell-related photos in the Perth Museum archives; that of Rev. Bell is reputedly the only known photograph of him, and was taken in the last year of his life.