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RobertBell
Robert Bell
Date of birth: 1819
Status: Deceased
Date of death: 1865
Occupation: Surveyor
Marital status: Married
Relatives: Lily Bell - wife, deceased
Rebecca Bell - mother
Charlotte Bell - sister
Emily Bell - sister
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by: Robert Moloney
Season: 1
First episode: "Pilot"
Last episode: "Immoral Mathematics"
Appearances: 2 episodes (see below)

Robert Bell was the lead surveyor for the Union Pacific Railroad and husband to Lily Bell.

Biography[]

Background information[]

Robert first met his future wife, Lily Bell, while speaking about the American West at the British Natural History Museum. Though the two were deeply in love, his family seemed to object to the match. His sister, Charlotte Bell, became especially vocal at his funeral saying that she told him not to marry Lily.

Season 1[]

Main article: Season 1

Robert and Lily Bell worked in the survey camp for Union Pacific Railroad and had been mapping out a route across the plains and towards the Rockies for about a year. Robert had a falling out with Thomas Durant, his employer. While the details behind the disagreement remain somewhat unclear, Lily has hinted that it had something to do with money that Robert had not received for work performed. Robert became ill with a bad cough sometime during the survey and had a persistent cough. While the couple enjoyed the work they performed together, Robert worried about her safety. He reminded Lily that she promised to return to Chicago once they entered hostile territory but she refused, citing Robert's illness as her reason for staying.

Cheyenne renegades attacked the survey camp early in the morning, surprising the camp while they slept. Lily and Robert fled to the woods and hid but were revealed by Robert's uncontrollable coughing. Sun Bear clubbed Robert, stunning him, and then shot Lily in shoulder. Robert attempted to protect Lily by throttling the renegade but was stabbed in the gut. Lily retaliated by killing the man with the arrow from her shoulder. Robert died in the arms of his wife, leaving her the maps for which they had labored so hard. ("Pilot")

Appearances[]

Season 1 appearances
"Pilot" "Immoral Mathematics" * "A New Birth of Freedom" "Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai" "Bread and Circuses"
"Pride, Pomp and Circumstance" "Revelations" "Derailed" "Timshel" "God of Chaos"

* - Uncredited appearance

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