~ The meetings of a lifetime ~

When author, Courtney, found out her second cousin genealogist, Heather Stevens, saw a new close match on ancestry, she was stunned! Not only was the match a newfound connection to a missing link in the family tree, but it was a match with remarkably, a 99 year old lady. Her name is Netta Summerville. Courtney's great grandfather, Cecil (Snr) was adopted by the Bull family and Frederick, a key suspect in the missing link, is Netta's father. It is with regret, Netta, never met Courtney or Cecil Jnr, son of Cecil Snr. Days of mystery, days of research and finally, the era of DNA testing brought a profound turn into this compelling find to identify the father of Cecil Snr. Likewise, Courtney and her grandfather Cecil are still "baffled" and "overjoyed" with the discovery. In 2019, Heather emailed Courtney and Courtney quickly notified her grandfather Cecil of the news. Heather then met up with a man called William Lee, a well - known farmer in Central Western NSW, who had also matched as a connection.

This sparked the revelation that Cecil and Courtney are descended from large land holder, politician, pastoralist and Bathurst's seventh settler, the original William Lee, born in 1794. Cecil had matched 4th cousins with William Lee, and matched second cousins with Netta Summerville. It was then, that Heather quickly realized, two other ancestry users, Helen Oliver, daughter of Netta, and Meg Copeland, daughter of Majorie Smith were related to Cecil and Courtney.

Courtney recalls a long phone call with Emily Copeland, head of CADA, Australia's home of Hip Hop and R and B, who's mother, Meg is the grandaughter to Frederick Henry Lee. Emily told her that "people in the town (Larras Lee/Molong) would say that her grandmother looks just like the Lee girls". Indeed, there were a great number of Lee descendants. Frederick had three illegitimate children at the time of his death. One of these illegitimate children, is my great grandfather, and another is Meg's mother.

Meg Copeland, from Brisbane, finally met up with Cecil and Courtney, pictured below, in 2019 and we all could not have been more overjoyed by the meeting.

Above: Courtney meeting Meg Copeland in 2019.

Then, in 2020, Helen Oliver, from Wingham NSW, had the dearest opportunity to meet up with not only Cecil and Courtney, but Courtney's sister, Stephanie too. Helen was fascinated by the work Courtney has put into justifying Catherine McNamara and Frederick Henry Lees liaison, compiling an over 80 page document to represent the discovery of the Frederick Henry Lee, as Courtney's great, great, great grandfather. This was presented to Helen and copies were sent to many members of the Lee family via email. Helen, with Courtney and Stephanie, pictured below.

Above: Courtney Bull meeting Helen Oliver, from Wingham NSW.

As the document begins, "Deep and strong roots may only surface once the facts have been searched for amongst a tree’s falling leaves saturating in last century’s water" and "To avoid deluge, a true passion for the love of one’s origins must be met with heedful searching and scrupulous gathering to contribute to a moment of value through one’s discovery." These two sentences captivate my interest and undoubtably, fuels my passion for genealogy.

The over 80 page document, which details surnames origins of those in the line of descent from William Lee and the McNamara side, as well as the rationale on the case of the reasons suggesting the high likelihood has been sent to members of the Lee family. The many photos of Catherine, her parents, and William Lee and his wife Mary Dargin also serve to enrich the story and draw attention to a very touching, but remarkable story as well.

Above: Stephanie Bull meeting Helen Oliver.

In addition to the 80 page document, another document, known as the Personal Interest Project, was created in 2019. Completed as part of the author's HSC subject, Society and Culture, it showcases the legacy of the Lee family as pioneering members in the Central West region of New South Wales and, explores their impact and influence. “Their influence was invaluable; to later generations, their memory is inspiring”, reads the National Advocate in 1909 of ‘A Great Pastoral Family’.

The pivotal tool of DNA testing has meant that other theories as to who the father of Cecil James Snr could have been, in that, being potentially Dr Reginald Bowman and the Macarthur Onslow family of Parramatta/Camden have been proven unlikely through DNA evidence. As the meetings both came to an end, it is only the beginning of a lifetime of friendship and rapport, that encompasses the biological connections now.

Photo: Cecil Bull (Jnr) with 4th-6th cousin, Helen Oliver.