At Old Orchard Beach

Granny and Grampy Cumming, Margaret (Harvey) and William, probably at Old Orchard Beach, Maine. 1930's?


Annie, the youngest, with brother Malcolm Cumming, the oldest child. Probably about 1933 and likely at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

Annie Sharp Cumming

Annie Sharp Cumming. Probably 1940's, married to Donald Nosworthy.

In The 1940s

Mabel and Donald Cumming with daughters Donalda and Christina ("Bonnie")

William Cumming and wife Agnes (Branagan).

William and Donald Cumming. Verdun, 1940's.

Donald Cumming, Annie Nosworthy (Cumming), William Cumming, Verdun, Quebec, 1940's.

Westbrook House

Margaret and William Cumming at their home at 274 Saco St. in Westbrook, Maine. It looks like it was just completed. It has since burned and a different structure stands on the old foundation. Probably early 1940's.

Cumming Children In Paisley

The Cumming children when they were still in Paisley, Scotland. This would have been taken about 1915.
back row: Jean, Kitty (Catherine), Billy. front row: George, Donald, Diane (Dollina).

The three oldest children, Malcolm, Christina, and Peg (Margaret), are not present. Perhaps they were working as their ages would have been 20, 17, 16 years old. Rose died five years earlier and Annie, the youngest, was born two years later.

Maine Outing

These photos were probably taken somewhere near Westbrook and Old Orchard Beach.


Cumming family in Maine circa 1925. Sitting left to right, Diane (Dollina), Jean, Granny (Margaret), Peg (Margaret) with her daughters Dollina Taylor Miller in her lap and Margaret Harvey Miller at her side, Donald. Lying on the ground, Annie, George.

Cumming family in Maine circa 1925. Standing behind the rock: Grampy (William), Peg, unknown, unknown, sitting: Donald, George, Margaret (daughter of Peg), Annie, Dollina (daughter of Peg). Standing in front: Jean, Diane, Granny (Margaret).

Malcolm and Christina Cumming

Malcolm Cumming age 41 and Christina Cumming (her maiden name was Cumming as well) age 32. Marriage 16 October 1874 at Portmahomack, Tarbat, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland. Malcolm was a fisherman likely working for a nearby wealthy landowner who would typically rent a house to the people in their employ.

They were parents of William Cumming born October 1876. To add to the confusion they had just one other child who was also named William. He was born October 1875 and he must have died shortly after birth. It was very common to reuse a name in this situation in this era.


I visited Portmahomack a few years ago. It is a very picturesque village right on the ocean and was noted for commercial fishing in the days the Cumming family lived there. Today there is no longer any fishing in the area and most of the current residents commute to Inverness to work. There is some sheep farming and small local business but little else.

This is the ruins of all that remains of a house of the type they would have lived in. There would have been a gabled chimney at each end and a thatched roof. A very primitive affair in an area that no doubt has brutal winters with nothing to break the wind coming off the North Sea. This is a very flat treeless spot.