Lögberg-Heimskringla - 28.01.2005, Page 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 28 January 2005
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca
Genealogy
brings in
new members
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Vancouver, BC
The Icelandic Canadian
Club of British Columbia (ICC
of BC)’s secretary Gerri Mc-
Donald has been in charge of the
Genealogy Centre in the Iceland
House in Vancouver for nearly
two years. She says that there
is a wide interest in genealogy
among the club’s members and
she enjoys helping people to re-
search their roots.
The Genealogy Centre was
established in Iceland House to
encourage people of Icelandic
descent to find out about their
forebears. The Icelandic Heri-
tage Library is there as well, and
it also holds reference materials
for those interested in their fam-
ily history.
“There are lots of people
looking for information on their
ancestors, and they would not be
able to access the information
on their own,” Gerri says. She
adds that the Internet has opened
many doors and mentions Islen-
dingabók (www.islendingabok.
is), Hálfdán Helgason’s website
(www.halfdan.is/news/), the Ice-
land Genealogy Forum (http://
genforum.genealogy.com/ice-
land/) and the Genealogy Cen-
tre in Utah (www.familysearch.
org).
“There are many people
who post questions on there,”
she says. “I have provided in-
formation for a lot of people and
thought it was a good opportuni-
ty for us to do something here,”
she adds. “I have been in touch
with many people and the gene-
alogy has brought in quite a few
new members to the club.”
Thaanks to funding through
the Gaming Commission in Van-
couver, the club has been able to
buy a new computer and a scan-
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PHOTO: STEINÞÖR GUÐBJARTSSON
Gerri McDonald started the Genealogy Centre in Iceland House in 2003, and has been in
charge of it ever since.
ner and a number of reference
books. “I am available to people
and we make arrangements to
meet in Iceland House,” Gerri
says.
More than 30 years ago Ger-
ri got interested in genealogy.
“When I first went to Iceland, I
started trying to find information
on my grandmother Halldóra
Jónsdóttir who was five years old
when she came to Canada. Over
time, I got more interested and
wanted to get information about
my other grandparents. I lived in
Iceland from 1973 to 1977 and
studied at the University of Ice-
land. In that time I did a lot of
research on my own family and
continued my research after I
enjoyed the club in 1990. I was
always searching for books on
genealogy and when the funds
were there I took the opportunity
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to develop the Genealogy Cen-
tre.”
Since 1990, Gerri has been a
board member of the ICC of BC.
She started as secretary and after
that she was president for three
years. Later she became presi-
dent again for a year.
She says that she prefers to
spend her free time on geneal-
ogy, but she works for Cana-
da Customs. “One of the first
people I had come through my
line was pianist and conductor
Vladimir Ashkenazy who has
an Icelandic wife. Every once
in a while, charter flights from
Iceland would come into Van-
couver. Then I would ask peo-
ple questions in Icelandic, they
would answer in Icelandic and
then just look at me. Being ques-
tioned in Icelandic obviously
surprised them. This was in the
early 1980s and many of the pas-
sengers were elderly people who
did not speak English to the de-
gree that Icelanders do today.”
Looking for your roots?
The Icelandic Canadian Club of BC Genealogy Centre was
established at Iceland House, 939 6th Street, New Westminster,
BC in 2003 to encourage people of Icelandic descent to find
out about their ancestors. The lcelandic Heritage Library also
holds reference materials, such as Vesturfaraskrá 1870-1914, a
record of emigrants to America by Júníus Kristinsson; Manntal
á íslandi (Census of Iceland) 1801 (partial), 1845 and 1910
(partial), and Vestur-fslenskar œviskrár, mini-biographies of
hundreds of Icelandic Canadians and Americans.
For access contact the club at (604) 515-1224 (message
only) or Gerri at (604) 279-0420 (or icc_of_bc@hotmail.com).
ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR ICEIANDIC HERITAGE?
• Do you want to see it preseived for your
• children and grandchildren?
Are you a member ofyour local lcelandic club?
Don't know where they are orwho to contact?
Check out our website at www.iniofna.org
or for more information, contact F?osa in our INL office.
Telephone: (204) 642-5897 emaii: lnl@mts.net
If you don't have a club in your area
but are interested in forming one, please call the INL office.
WOULDN'T YOURAMMAAND AFJ BF PROUD?