Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.09.2006, Síða 5

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Dear Editor:
Well as a result of your
publishing the “actor’s troupe”
photograph (in Lögberg-Heim-
skringla No. 17, 1 September
2006), a major source of infor-
mation has stepped forward...
Einar Vigfusson! He says he’s
related to most of the people in
the photo and has, with the help
of Gura Hornfjord, identified
everyone.
Apparently the actors are
people from Framnes and the
director is a fellow named Guð-
mundur Magnússon. He was the
Framnes postmaster. Einar’s not
sure of the name of the play they
put on at the time of this picture,
but he will name four or five of
the plays that they performed.
Perhaps research in back issues
of Lögberg or Heimskringla
might yield a mention of the
event or story if anyone had the
time and/or desire to go dig-
ging. Would www.timarit.is be
a source as well? Hopefully we
can establish a valid date range.
My guess is 1925 (plus or minus
five years).
So... printing this picture
has resulted in a gold mine of
information. It has got people
talking about it.
All the best,
Robert Asgeirsson
Icelandic Archives of BC
Vancouver, BC
Editor’s note: Robert also
conveyed to me by phone that
Walter Sopher of Edmonton, AB
also knew many of the people in
the photo and was able to supply
information on their identities.
Einar Vigfusson’s response
follows.
Hello Robert:
As soon as I saw the picture
in Lögberg-Heimskringla I rec-
ognized it, as it was always in
our picture box here at home.
My father Jóhann grew up
in the area known as Framnes
along the Icelandic River, about
three miles west and a little
north of Arborg, NB. Most of
the people in the photo are rela-
tives and friends.The picture is
taken at the Framnes park near
the Framnes Hall.The bridge in
the background is on the upper
reaches of the Icelandic River.
The plays put on by the Fr-
amnes people were not, to my
knowledge, ever taken out of
the district, as there were acting
groups in both Arborg and Gey-
sir and they seldom encroached
on each other, although once in a
while they were done in Arborg.
The buildings on the right-hand
side of the picture are on a farm
across the river owned at that
time by Kristján and Friðrikka
Magnússon (not related to Guð-
mundur Magnússon). On the
left-hand side of the picture you
can see trees on the other side of
the bridge. This is Fljótshlíð, the
original home of Einar Stefán-
son and Lovísa Benediktsdóttir,
the parents of Ástríður, Pálína
and Jóhanna (my grandmother).
The director (furthest to the
left in the photo) is Guðmundur
Magnússon, a well-known fig-
ure in the Framnes District . He
was the Postmaster of Framnes
from1922 till 1933. A well-read
man and poet in his own right, he
prepared children for confirma-
tion, taught Sunday school and
performed church services in
the absence of ministers among
other things. Guðmundur was
a carpenter by trade. He was
related to the Icelandic poetess
Vatnsenda Rósa.
I will now list the cast of the
play (I do not know the name
of it) from left to right, as in a
single row:
1. Jóhann Vigfusson grew
up in the Framnes district and
later was a fisherman on Lake
Winnipeg along with his broth-
ers Einar and Bergur. He mar-
ried Emily Jónsson and they
farmed at Arborg where they
raised their family of four sons.
2. Magnús Gislason mar-
ried Ástríður Einarsdóttir and
they lived at Víðirhóll where
they brought up a large family
who all played a significant part
in the development of the dis-
trict
3. Páll Stefánson was never
married but took part in all ac-
tivities especially choirs and
plays. A great supporter of the
Ardal Lutheran church and the
Arborg Hospital. He was a life-
time Honorary Member of the
Arborg Curling Club.
4. Einar Vigfusson (my
uncle and namesake) was a fish-
erman in his younger years but
settled down to farming when
he married Guðrún (Gunna) Sig-
urðson from the Framnes dis-
trict. Always in choirs and plays,
he sang in the Ardal church
choir all of his life. Guðrún is
very musical and played piano
at many community functions
and enjoyed singing. Einar and
Gunna had two daughters.
5. Margaret Guðrún
(daughter of Guðmundur Mag-
nússon, the choir director) mar-
ried Halldór from Vindheimum
near Riverton. They had four
children.
6. Jónas Nelson (Neilsson).
Born at Akra, ND and came to
Canada with his parents. Mar-
ried Kristjana Þóra (daughter
of Hannes and Ólöf Jónsson of
Reykhólar. Went to North Da-
kota. They had seven children.
7. Fríða Nelson (Hólm-
fríður), a sister to Jónas. Mar-
ried Kristofer Magnússon
from Akra, ND. They farmed
northwest of Arborg on the old
homestead til 1929. They then
returned to North Dakota. They
had three children.
8. Bergur Hornfjórð, mar-
ried to Pálína Vilborg Einars-
dóttir (sister to above-men-
tioned Ástríður). Bergur was a
fisherman on Lake Winnipeg
for 25 years, then settled down
to farming with his son Jón and
foster brother Sigurður (Siggi)
Pálsson. Musically inclined,
he was also very interested in
folklore and legend. He was not
only a writer and poet of note
but had assembled volumes of
historical data. He was also an
excellent bookbinder. Unfortu-
nately, some of his work includ-
ing his daily journal were lost in
a house fire.
8. Sessalja (Ingjaldson)
Guðmundson married Guð-
mundur Guðmundson, who was
the artist that painted many of
the backdrops used in the lo-
cal plays. Sella was a unique
and remarkable person. Besides
looking after her own family’s
needs, she also boarded a teach-
er. But perhaps her most impor-
tant duty was to the women of
the district for whom she was
the local midwife, often alone,
when there was no doctor avail-
able. She was a most capable
woman — efficient, strong, un-
selfish and trustworty.
9. Sigurður (Siggi) Pals-
son. He was a foster brother to
Bergur Hornfjörð and farmed
with Bergur and his son Sigur-
jón (Jón) all his life. He was de-
voted to the family and helped to
make the farm one of the show
places of the district.
11. Jóhanna (Einarsdót-
tir) Vigfusson. She is a sister to
Ástríður and Pálína. She was my
grandmother (Jóhann’s mother).
She was married to Guðmundur
Vigfússon. She had a very lovely
personality and is remembered
for her sense of humour and her
lightheartedness. She was also a
midwife and helped many wom-
en in childbirth.
These three sisters spent a
lot of time knitting socks and
mitts and sweaters for fishermen
on the lake and the needy fami-
lies in the district who simply
had no mitts or socks for their
children.
12. Sigurjón (Jón) Horn-
fjörð. Son of Bergur and Pálína.
He married Guðrún Jóhanna
daughter of Guðmundur and
Sessalja Guðmundson. Jón and
Guðrún (Gúra) were an im-
mensely popular couple in the
district. They took part in all
community activities and took
part in plays and male and
mixed choirs. Jón was a driving
force wherever there was sing-
ing, drama or music. They took
active roles in the Ardal church
and its choir. They both worked
very hard at farming and were
very successful at building up
one of the finest farms in the dis-
trict. They were also involved in
the Co-op, the Agricultural So-
ciety among other things. They
had two children.
Before I put this infomation
together, I checked with Gúra
Hornfjörð at Arborg. She could
not remember the name of the
play, but recalled helping her
mother make the beards (some
from wool and the dark-coloured
ones were from horsehair) seen
in the picture. Her mother Sella
(Sessalja) was in the play, and
her father Guðmundur painted
the backdrops for it. This play
was probably performed some-
time between the years 1927
– 29.
I also discussed this with
Walter Sopher of Edmonton,
AB, who lived with the Horn-
fjörðs when he was young.
As far as I know, the group
did not have a specific name. I
have no idea who the photogra-
pher may have been.
Here are some of the plays
performed in Framnes over the
years: Dóttir Fangans (The Pris-
oner’s Daughter); Skuggasveinn
(Shadow lover (swain)); Apinn
(The Monkey); Happið (Lucky
Break); Brúðkaupskvöldið
(Wedding Night).
There probably were many
more.
Your friend and cousin,
Einar Vigfusson
Arborg, MB
Vertu sæll.
P. S. The farms in that par-
ticular area were not named, as
was the custom in the New Ice-
land area. Framnes was not in
the original New Iceland area
and was not settled till after
1900.
Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 15. september 2006 • 5
Left: Hansung Bae as a middle school boy. Right: Hansung (far right) today with his family.
Dear Editor:
How do you do?
I am a South Korean man,
Mr. Hansung Bae and I am
looking for an Icelandic woman
who was a pen pal with me in
1971, 35 years ago.
At that time I was 12 and I
lived in Busan with five mem-
bers of family.
Unfortunately for me I can’t
remember her name, and at that
time she was 26 years old (now
she is 61 years old) and had a
daughter.
I started as a pen pal in the
first grade of middle school and
I studied English for only four
months, so I was very poor at
English.
And then I couldn’t con-
tinue being a pen pal with her
except three or four times, and I
feel very sorry about that.
Now I work as a travel writ-
er and my family is three: my
wife and one boy who is in the
first grade of middle school just
as I was when I started writing
as a pen pal.
I told my son, don’t give up
when things are difficult and
do your best, and then you will
have good results.
Please help me to look for
the woman.
Sincerely yours,
Hansung Bae
mansoo-jugong apt. 414-
802ho, mansoo-4-dong,
Namdong-gu
Incheon, South Korea
405-771
E-mail: hansbae@naver.com
hansbae@hanmail.net
Mobile: 82-16-293-5556
Home: 82-32-467-7879
(GMT+9)