Did Alexander Graham Bell Have Kids ?
While the whole world knows about Alexander Graham Bell and his famous invention, the telephone, not much is known about his personal life and kids. Did Alexander Graham Bell have kids? Yes, he did. He had 4 kids, but just two survived to attain adulthood.
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Alexander Graham Bell got married to Mabel Gardiner Hubbard. She was Gardiner Greene Hubbard’s daughter, who was an eminent lawyer in Boston. Bell’s father-in-law went on to become the first president of Bell’s telephone company when it was established. It is said that Mabel was an inspiration to Bell throughout his life and if it were not for her love, support and belief, Bell would not have been able to achieve the success he did. The strange part is that Mabel was also hearing impaired just like Bell’s mother. So, it is quite possible that this is what attracted Bell.
The couple had 4 children, two boys and two girls. However, both boys died shortly after they were born. One of the sons died due to respiratory problems and this prompted Bell to invent a vacuum metal jacket to ease respiration in people suffering from respiratory problems. The jacket was the precursor to the iron lung, which helped patients to breathe when they were struck by polio.
The elder daughter was known as Elsie May Bell, while the younger one was christened Marian Hubbard Bell, but was better known as Daisy. There is an interesting anecdote about how Bell wanted to name his younger daughter Photophone when she was born. Thankfully, that did not happen. In all probability Mabel Bell must have put her foot down against this name.
Elsie wed Gilbert Grosvenor. He was the editor of the National Geographic Magazine. This magazine was the brainchild of Bell, but it was Gilbert who was instrumental in making it more than just a pamphlet. The couple ended up having 2 sons and 5 daughters.
The second daughter, Daisy or Marian, wed David Fairchild, who was a botanist. He was also one of the trustees for the National Geographic Society and part of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The couple had one son and one daughter. The son was named Alexander Graham Bell Fairchild and was an entomologist. He worked with the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory located in Panama. The daughter was named Nancy Bell and she got married to Marston Bates, who was an entomologist and an author. In fact, Nancy was also a writer and published a booking about living in rural parts of Columbia in the 1940s.
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Garden Of Praise: Alexander Graham Bell Museum
http://gardenofpraise.com/agbell8.htm
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