Ann Bolton

  General Notes:

Notes for ANN BOLTON:
THE NEPEAN TIMES, PENRITH - SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30th 1904 (Page 3 Middle Column)
BEYONE THE VEIL - ONE OF OUR OLDEST IDENTITIES GONE
DEATH OF MRS R REES, SEN.
A link with the far, far, past.
By death worn through at last.

In the person of Mrs R Rees, sen., whose mortal remains were interred at Castlereagh on Saturday afternoon last, the district has lost one of its oldest identities and at that, one connected in the far past with the best life. Born in 1814, Ann Bolton was early in touch with the powerful religious forces which energised in the neighborhood of Castlereagh.
Those were the days when the missionary swam rivers, hungered often, and slept with his head in the saddle. This is by the way, in a sense; and yet no memoir of this lady now departed would be worth the writing if full reference was not made to her religion - which was her life. There are but few now living who can tell the history of this part when Mrs Rees (as she was known by a second marriage) was not an active and prominent figure in it.
Everywhere one moves, and whenever her recent death is a topic of conversation, grey-headed men are heard to say "Yes, she was a grand woman, and she has been like that ever since I first knew her - which must be over fifty years". At a very early age Ann Bolton became the wife of John Lees, who by the way, can not be passed over with that brief reference. For Castlereagh is the cradle of Australian Methodism, and the first of our no-so-many churches was, practically, the gift of John Lees, Sen., father of the man we have noticed above. The last named was host to Sammuel Leigh, first Wesleyan missionary to this country, and a congenial host he must have been "Like father like son", it was too; and the Methodist Church at Castlereagh found two pillars in John Lees, jnr., and his wife, the latter being converted some sixty years ago. Eight children resulting from this union, of whom four remain: Mrs J Flack, of Pennant Hills; Mrs C Colless of Mudgee; Mrs W Wright of Castlereagh; and Mr J Lees of Dubbo. Later, the widowed Mrs Lees was married to Richard Rees, and to him there were born six children, five of whom are now living: Mr R Rees, of Castlereagh; Mr B Rees, of Wellington; Mrs J Fog, of St. Peters; Mrs Willmott, Cooma; and Mrs T Mason, Castlereagh. But perhaps the most interesting feature in this connection is the unusual fact of the deceased having seen here descendants to the fifth generation - all natives, let us remember. This descent was to be traced in five instances. But to return to the lady herself. For many years she survived the second husband, and "Gran" Rees continued to be known when many of the young and strong had passed away. To know her was to love her, and where the religion of others might have repelled, with her it had a charm which was irresistible. She was an evangelist of the highest order, and in her day of strength knew how to minister to the bodies of her neighbours as well as to their souls. In fact one could not visit

More About ANN BOLTON:
Burial: 23 November 1901, Upper Castlereagh Methodist Church, New South Wales, Australia.
Cause of Death: Asthenia - Old age
Medical Information: Duration: 4 weeks
Occupation: Home Duties

Ann married John Lees, son of John Lees and Mary Stevens, on 24 Dec 1830 in Anglican Christ Church, Castlereagh, New South Wales, Australia.³⁷⁰ (John Lees was born on 19 Sep 1807 in Castlereagh, Nsw, Australia ¹⁴¹, christened on 2 Feb 1812 in St. Matthew's Church, Windsor, New South Wales, Australia,¹³ died on 22 Dec 1848 in Castlereagh, Nsw, Australia ¹⁴¹ and was buried on 24 Dec 1848 in Upper Castlereagh Methodist Church, New South Wales, Australia ¹³.)