The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2006, Side 9

Vol. 60 #1
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
7
He had a sister in Canada
by Gudrun Agustsdottir
photos courtesy of Johanna Wilson
Valtyr as a young man
In 1860 a little boy was born at Arbak-
ki, Skagastrond, Hunavatnssysla, which is
in Northern Iceland. When he reached the
age of confirmation (13-14) his mother and
step-father began thinking about emigrat-
ing to the New World with the three chil-
dren living with them. The plan was that
his two sisters, who lived elsewhere, would
join them later. However, the young lad
decided on his own that he would not go
with them. He later told the story this way:
that in the summer of 1873 he ran away
from home “bare headed, wearing only his
underwear”. According to one source, the
reason was that he wanted to go to school;
not just any school, but the Latin School in
Reykjavik, and later the University of
Copenhagen. The decision to stay behind
proved fateful for him, his family, and for
Iceland. Last year on the 144th anniversary
of his birth his biography was published,
from which I have received much of my
information for this address. The biogra-
phy was written by Jonas Thor, historian.
In 1874 his mother, step-father and
their two children left on their long jour-
ney to Canada. The Westfarers' record
(Vesturfararskra) states that Simon
Slmonarson, a 35 year old farmer, his 39
year old wife Valdls GuSmundsdottir, 8
year old Gudmundur Slmonarson, and 2
year old Gudrun Slmonardottir had left
with St. Patrick bound for Ontario. The
young boy, Valtyr, stayed behind. Simon
and Valdls went to Kinmount, Ontario
with their two children and from there to
New Iceland a year later with their son
Gudmundur. Simon became a well respect-
ed man and he kept a diary all through his
life. In his diary he wrote about the journey
to Canada and the settlement there. Here
they are in Toronto:
In Ontario.
“I carried my little Gudrun but my
Gudmundur walked. I thought the build-
ings so high and the streets so narrow that
the street was like a narrow ravine at home
in Iceland, but the travelling was different,
for the streets were paved with stone.” The
following day the people were allocated to
the newly built huts, which were num-
bered, 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. There was consider-
able space between them. Our family, and
eight others were assigned to the number
four hut. It will be left to the imagination
what the atmosphere was like inside.”
Simon continues to describe the jour-
ney to Kinmount, but that story is well
known and will not be retold here. We also
know that the people lived under very poor
conditions in Kinmount. There was little
work to be had and little food as well, the
children got sick and little Gudrun died
eight days after they arrived in Kinmount.
New Iceland.
They moved on to New Iceland where
the dream about New Iceland was to be