Introduction

For several years in the 1960s, William ‘Clyde’ Bell (1915-2005) was a trustee of the Perth Museum in charge of public relations. In 1963 and 1964 he published, in the Perth Courier, the series of articles on the history of Perth and district republished here.

Bell was born June 29, 1915, in Bathurst Township, the son of Robert William Bell (1879-1963) and Barbara Elizabeth Wrathall (1877-1955). He farmed the family property near Balderson, was a founding member of the Perth Junior Farmers Club, and joined the museum Board of Directors in June 1962. As he launched the Courier series, he explained that, "I spent most of my spare time during the past winter in sorting and classifying boxes of clippings, letters and scrapbooks that have recently been turned over to the Perth Museum. As I continued with the work, I made notes of odds and ends of information that I planned to use for reference. I later realized that I had complied an outline of the history of the Perth District without actually planning to do so."

In 1964 Bell sold his farm and, with partner Bob Hanna, purchased the Tweed News where he assumed the duties of editor. He married Mary Grace Hanna (1926-2002) in 1969.

Clyde Bell died at Tweed on December 10, 2005, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery at Perth.

Their Epitaphs May Vanish, But Their Glory Lives On - April 25 and May 2, 1963

Legalized Selling of Ale and Cider – May 16, 1963

When Love Was Not A Bed of Roses – May 23, 1963

Anthony Wiseman – May 30, 1963

Military Settlement Commissioner Skips With Town’s Money to U.S.A. - June 6, 1963

A Hero Of Our Time, Major Alex Campbell – June 27, 1963

Will Mr. Campbell’s Dream Come True? – July 4, 1963

Democracy Was Born in Perth in 1841 – July 13, 1963

A Church Built For Every Distillery – July 18, 1963

Early Church Services Preached In Gaelic – July 25, 1963

Rev. James B. Duncan, One Of Perth’s Greatest Preachers – August 1, 1963

Catholic Church Said Burned After July 12th Dispute – August 8, 1963

Perth’s First Baptist Minister Paid Only 60 Pounds A Year - August 22, 1963

The Unusual Burial Of Carl Muller – August 29, 1963

A Gentleman Of Unusual Talent And Ability – September 5, 1963

Perth’s First Postmistress Was a Portuguese Baroness – December 27, 1963

Colorful History Of The Second Concession - April 2 & 9, 1964

Education In the Early Days Of Perth Started in Homestead - October 8, 15, 22, 1964

Perth’s First Public Library Inaugurated in 1832 by Rev. W. Bell – October 29, 1964