Novella MacWilliams Harris 1936-1943-1944

Novella was born January 7, 1891 in

_ Carleton, Lot 6, Prince County, Prince Edward Island. She grew up with her brother, Carrol, on the MacWilliam’s family farm helping with farm and household chores while attending school. She travelled to the Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. area after finishing Grade 12 to visit family friends and __ stayed a period of time, working as a

housekeeper and nanny for families.

Upon her return to P.E.I., she married Thomas Harris. They were married February 20, 1918, at the home of Novella’s parents in Carleton and after the ceremony and reception, travelled by horse and sleigh to the Harris homestead in Knutsford, P.E.I. Her life with Tommy on the small family farm centered around household chores — laundry done by hand in a washtub with a scrub board, the water for the laundry heated in a large tub on the wood stove, clothes hung on the line in all kinds of weather, no electricity and running water in the early years, many trips to the backyard outhouse. While performing this indoor work, there was always a cooked meal and lots of home baking ready. She also helped with any outdoor farm work that was required. The couple’s life centered around farming and community life while raising two children, Foster and Verna. They were known to have travelled to Summerside area by horse and wagon or sleigh to visit friends, and this required an overnight stay. Novella was an accomplished quilter, rug hooker and knitter and spent many winter hours doing this by oil lamplight. She also displayed many crochet doilies and couch covers in her home, many of these she passed on to family and friends when they visited. A large garden was always planted in the summers and pickling & canning was a big part of summer life. Novella was a charter member of the Knutsford Women’s Institute, since 1928 and institute meetings, sometimes hosted in her home, was an event she looked forward to attending. Novella retired from strenuous farm and household chores due to ill health in 1958. She was able to reside in the family home with her husband, son and daughter-in-law, Jean, until her death in 1978 at the age of 87.

Written by her granddaughter, Annette Rennie

36