Ships Builder and Captain John Cumming was born the 27th of May 1834
at Kippford and died aged 72 on the 19th of Feb 1907 at his home in
Kippford of chronic pneumonia.
He married Ann Collins Donaldson on the 3rd of Feb 1865, in the parish
of Colvend. He was aged 30 and Ann was 35 and her father James was a
seaman. Ann was born the 27th of Oct 1829 at Colvend and she died at
the post office, Kippford aged 75 on the 23 of Nov 1905 of chronic asthma and
bronchitis.
The post office was initially situated at Westfield (now called
Hutton’s Ground).
On the 1891 census John Cumming and Ann where living at the "Post
Office" in Kippford and their son James was aged 17 and a sailor. On
the 1901 census they were still living at the Post Office and their
daughter Mary Elizabeth Cumming was the Post Mistress assistant and
their other daughter Margaret was in domestic service. On the
1911cenus Mary Elizabeth Cumming was living in the post office by
herself, and was now the Post Mistress, she was aged 45.
On the 1915 Valuation Rolls, Mary’s brother Henry Cumming owned the
Post Office and Mary was still working as the post mistress.
The following information is from the internet “History of kippford.”
The name 'Kippford' came into being during 1870 when a Post Office was
opened in a house five doors south of 'The Anchor', which by 1900
dignified itself with the name of a hotel.
The following information was written by Samuel Murdoch Crosbie in 1923.
For several generations the best-known schooner connected with the
Water of Urr was, perhaps, the "Gallovidian," belonging to the late
Captain John Cumming, and sailed by him for a number of years until he
was required at home to carry on the shipbuilding business when his
brother, Mr. James Cumming, passed away, respected an revered by all.
Many clever sailors from Galloway received their early training on the
"Gallovidian." When near the end of her long career, she lay on the
Scaur beach until she was sold into Maryport, where she was
accidentally burnt.
Two sons of Captain John Cumming became sailors. One of them, Captain
Henry Cumming, was lost a sea during the war. He received his earlier
training on the "Gallovidian," but afterwards joined the Mercantile
Marine. The other, Captain James Cumming, began his seafaring life in
the "Gallovidian," but like so many of our young sailors, left the
coasting trade for deep-water navigation. After sailing the seven seas
in windjammers and steamers, he left the sea in 1914, and since that
time has made himself useful in many ways at the Scaur, especially in
connection with his yacht and with those of the Solway Sailing Club,
which he looks after with great assiduity. Occasionally he does a
little fishing on his own account.