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Marriage usually occurred in the fall or winter, probably because the fishery was ended for the season, and there was more time to put into the event. In the 1930's marriages were postponed because, with the depression, couples did not have the necessary funds to get married and to set up housekeeping. Consequently, after the American base came to Argentia in 1941, bringing prosperity to the area, many couples took their marriage vows and began to build their homes. This was evident in the number of fifieth anniversaries that were celebrated in Fox Harbour in 1992. Weddings were in the home and everyone in the community was invited attend. Guns were fired (Tess Duke always did this) and horns were blown from the fishing boats to celebrate the happy occasion. After the marriage ceremony, the couple would walk to the home where the wedding was to be held. The bride and groom would sit on the bed and receive congratulations and welcome the guests. A meal was served and accordion music was provided for dancing, and the festivities usually went on all night. The couple often lived with one of the parents until they built their own home. Most houses were salt-box shaped, except those of the more well off residents who added features as dormer windows or included such extras as a dining room. The oldest house in the harbour was purchased by the newly weds, Tom and Jane Howe. It was purchased on July 19, 1943, from Martha O'Reilly for the sum of $400.00.

Soon after occupying a new home, the priest would come and consecrate the house. The framed Consecration picture was displayed prominently in the kitchen, the heart of the home.

The birth of a child usually took place at home with the assistance of a midwife. Mary Jo Duke and later Martha Mullins, delivered many babies successfully and were often called out of bed at night to assist in a delivery. There were no anaesthetics and many births were long and difficult. Sometimes a doctor would have to come to their assistance, but it's tribute to their skills and devotion that so many healthy babies were brought into the world. As women of faith, they trusted that God would guide them in their work of bringing new life into the world.

DAILY TASKS

Men and women worked hard at their various tasks. The men fished in the summer and cut and hauled wood in the winter. Some men went to work in the lumberwoods for the paper companies. This was very hard work, done under very primitive conditions and usually yielded only enough pay to keep the family going in the winter. Women did all the housework - no easy task, without the modern conveniences we have today. When the men away, they carried the full responsibility of the household, both indoors and outdoors. They helped cure the fish, bring loads of caplin and kelp to the gardens for manure (often while pregnant), made hay, set vegetables and harvested them, brought water and looked after the animals. Hens and sheep were part of most households while a few owned a cow and/or a horse. The wool from the sheep was carded and spun into yarn for socks, mitts and sweaters. In the 1940's and 50's wool was sent to Prince Edward Island or Nova Scotia to be made into blankets. Many of these red, white or beige sturdy blankets are still being used in many households.

Each family grew its own vegetables which lasted most of the year. Meat was a rarity except for rabbits and mutton in the fall and winter. Christmas usually saw the table graced with a leg of lamb. Chicken also provided some delicious dinners. However, by the time spring rolled around, many larders were very skimpy and the term "Hungry month of March" was coined to describe the time of year when people were hard to have food on the table. Some families seemed to have better luck or skill in growing enough vegetables for the year. One family in particular, that of Kate "Leary, could always be counted on to spare a few potatoes, for a neighbour in the spring, with the instructions "to soak them in cold water because they're a bit soft." Vegetables were kept in a root cellar and partridgeberries were preserved in barrels of water.

Women had specific times of the year for doing major projects, e.g., carding, spinning, and knitting were done in the fall, quilting and hooking mats were done in the winter months.

OUT MIGRATION

During the 1920's many people left Newfoundland to go to the Boston state for employment. This was a time when foreign markets for fish slumped and it is reported in Book of Newfoundland and Labrador that in 1927 there was an out migration of 27,000 people from the country. We can assume that most of these were young men, but many young women left as well. Many of these young people never returned, but married and settled down in the United States. Those who did come home, met the depression.

As years went by and they became more prosperous they helped out their families back home financially, and materially by supplying them with clothing, mostly used, which was a godsend to the people in this depressed area. Packages were eagerly awaited to help clothe the children and provide a much needed dress for the mother of the house. Sometimes the packages took the form of a barrel which was packed tightly with many items of clothing. For years a popular saying to describe a new item of clothing was, "It came in the barrel!" Not everyone was the recipient of such bounty and during the 1930's many children would go barefoot in summer to spare their sneakers for good wear. Wearing a new pair of shoes given by a generous relative from St. John's could make one feel isolated when in the company of less fortunate people.