According to the Nicol, from left to right we have Auntie Annie, Auntie Margaret, Auntie Claire, Auntie Theresa, Auntie Catherine and Auntie Mami

So these aunties were in fact Grandpere's Aunties, though I understand they may have been known as Aunties by my 8 uncles

Anne Mitchell tells me that the McGinness family came from Ireland in 1850 (was this emigration linked to the Great Famine I wonder?). Hugh McGinness (born 1851) was in the wool trade and seemed to have done quite well for himself, Brigid was from Edinburgh.

Hugh and Brigid had 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls although Nicol Gorman recalls there being 13 siblings not 12. Anne Mitchell recalls an Auntie Clara who have recorded below but I presume is not on the photo above! Again the sharp eyed amongst you will wonder where the boys are in this picture - alas not here, but perhaps we will find photographic evidence sometime, somewhere!

The 6 girls in the photo were our 6 mystery aunties, and one is missing, Auntie Clara. According to the lovely Anne Mitchell we have the following details of these Aunties:

(Note: Anne Mitchell is our widely acclaimed font of all knowledge. Anne deserves separate a page for herself and family but see Auntie Margaret's listing below to see where Anne came from!)

Auntie Margaret (second from left)

Born 1883, died 1967

Anne Mitchell's maternal grandmother, married Patrick John Whelehan (born 1884, died 1959) in 1910.

As an aside Patrick's father was a Michael Whelahan who was captain and one of the founder members of the Hibernian Football Club alongside his brother-in-law Andrew Stanton. Check out this link in Wikipedia for further details,

Margaret and Patrick had two children, one of them Michael (born 1911, died off Tobruk in 1941 - he married  Margaret (Daisy) McEon in Feb 1941, no children) and Patricia Margaret (born 1917,  died 1972 who married Ronald Dingwall Kennedy from Wick (born 1912, died 1975). Patricia and Ronald married in the Chaplaincy in Edinburgh in 1939. Ronald had  his medical degree from Edinburgh University the previous year and did a locum in Fleetwood for 2 years where both their children were born, the children being Anne Patricia Mitchell (born 1940 and very much alive!) and Michael Andrew born 1941.