The family Bell may well have descended from a Norman follower of David I who reigned until 1153 and was, by the end of the thirteenth century, well established in Dumfriesshire, Berwickshire and Perthshire. The documentation below shows once more how strong the Scottish roots are in this line giving every indication it follows this line

10th Generation

Alexander Bell & Isobel Jervy

Isobel was born in Banton, near Kilsyth in Stirlingshire in 1769. She was married to James Whyte first, but their marriage only lasted 5 years before he died.

In 1767, William Cadell bought the Banton estate and its ironstone fields. This happened just 2 years before her birth. He was the original managing partner of the Carron Company Bo’ness. The original founders of the Carron Works were John Roebuck, Thomas Roebuck, and Ebenezer Roebuck. Samuel Garbett was also a founder. William Cadell Senior, William Cadell Junior, and John Cadell completed the group.

Alexander was born the same year as Isobel, on 18th June 1769 in Bo’ness. At 20 years old they married and had at least 6 children together. Alexander died on 11th October 1832 in Bo’ness of Cholera.

I have copied the full page of registered deaths above. As you can see many died of Cholera in this one month. This occurred during the second cholera pandemic (1826–1837). It reached from India across Western Asia to Europe and Great Britain. The pandemic also spread to the Americas, as well as east to China and Japan. Cholera caused more deaths than any other epidemic disease in the 19th century.

The effects of cholera were nearly instantaneous; vomiting, diarrhoea and death by dehydration. Mortality would usually occur within twenty-four hours of the disease’s violent onset.

11th Generation

Alexander Bell & Janet Templeton

Alexander was born on 23rd November 1718, this makes Alexander an old man when he married Janet Templeton in 1866 and has his children

This marriage certificate shows Alexander was a servant to Doctor Roebuck (mentioned above). Dr. Roebuck had moved to Kinneil House in Bo’ness only 2 years prior.

Doctor Roebuck was one of the founders of Carron Company, as we have seen above. The Kinneil House coal mines in the western half of Bo’ness supplied the Carron Works. They also fired the numerous salt pans lining the shoreline from Kinneil to Bo’ness.

Janet Templeton was born on 26th May 1723. This means that she was 43 years old when she married Alexander Bell. This was not normal for this time and I am pleased I have more than one certificate as confirmation.

Alexander died in 1779. He was a salter when he died. he would have worked at the Salt Mines at Kinneil, most likely the overseer. Sea Salt was once called “white gold.” Sea salt was harvested in Scotland for hundreds of years. The first salt pans were developed in the 12th century and by the 1790s, salt was Scotland’s third-largest export after wool and fish. Towns like Bo’ness set up pools close to coastlines to extract the commodity.

12th Generation

Alexander Bell & Margaret Gilmure

Alexander Bell was born 28 November 1674 in Linlithgow and married Margaret Gilmure. Mary Queen of Scots was also born in Linlithgow, some 130 years earlier. Linlithgow Palace was last used by the monarchy in 1633 by Charles I. However, his son, James, Duke of York, stayed here before succeeding to the throne as James VII in 1685. In the 1650s Cromwell garrisoned the palace.

Alexander moved to Bo’ness and married Margaret Gilmure in 1708 in Carriden

Margaret lived until she was 73 years old. Her death certificate shows she was buried the same day she died. I assume she died mainly due to old age.

Hugh Templeton & Anna Hardie

Anna Hardie was Janet Templeton’s mother. She was born on 6th April 1682 in Bo’ness to Richard Hardie and Agnes Gill. Her father was a Maltman. They were married 1705 in Bo’ness, Both of them born in Carriden

A maltman is the man who turns the barley into malted barley, which is used to make the whiskey. This was done by using a wooden malt shovel in floor maltings (i.e. stone or concrete troughs).  I believe some distillers, to this day, employ maltmen to do this by hand, it is quite a skilled job.

13th Generation

Alexander Bell and Isobell Anderson

Alexander Bell was baptised on 14th December 1652 in Linlithgow. The last baptised was the 7th December, this shows that children were baptised once a week in 1652.

He married Isobel Anderson on 14 December 1667 in Aberdour, aged only 15 years old. Isobel died in 1725 in Linlithgow. Her death certificate shows that Alexander was a Milnwright. They were specialised carpenters who completely designed and constructed mills. They designed the patterns of the water wheel systems, carved their gear mechanisms, and finally erected the mill machines

This shows the link to the next generation. It is feasible for the daughter of a millwright to meet a maltman in these times. These were both very skilled jobs as they were master craftsmen of their time.

14th Generation

George Bell

As you can see from Alexander’s birth certificate, his father was George Bell. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give his mother’s name. This prevents me from confirming documentation any further back.