The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2001, Page 15

Vol. 56 #2
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
53
History of Pioneers and Pioneer
Communities—A continual process
Part one of a two part series
by Frank Sigurdson
I have discovered that the most important
concept for people writing family history and
genealogy is that you are never finished. It is
a continual process as lost or unknown histor-
ical documents may surface, a person may
come forward with new information, or rele-
vant materia] may be found in books, maga-
zines and newspapers.
All of these have surfaced to provide
valuable information in my extensive
research to find out information about my
father, Jon Sigurdsson, a pioneer in Vidir,
Manitoba. For many years it has been my pas-
sion to discover what kind of life he was leav-
ing behind in Iceland, what type of life was
waiting for him in New Iceland and what
were his pioneer accomplishments as he
worked with settlers who led the way in
developing a new community.
He died when I was very young, there-
fore, I remember on a few of his activities.
One in particular is of the times that he came
home from his twice weekly trips to Arborg
bringing the Vidir and Sylvan mail. On some
occasions it was the joyous handout of candy
and other times it was the sight of him in win-
ter wearing a huge fur coat and having icicles
of frost hanging from his moustache.
Much of my information about him has
come from family stories relayed from
Mother to child and child to child and stories
gleaned from talks with Vidir pioneers who
have related vivid accounts of his contribu-
tions to the community.
In my research related to writing a major
paper, “The Icelanders,” in 1970, for my
Masters Degree in History, I found informa-
tion as I searched more than 42 books, peri-
odicals, magazines, newspapers.
Nelson S. Gerrard’s book, Icelandic
River Saga, has historical accounts about Jon
Bjornsson, a brother of Sigurdur Bjornsson,
who is Jon’s father, Gudjon Finnsson, a
cousin of Jon, Bjorn Sigurdsson, a brother of
Jon, Asmundur Austmann, husband of Helga,
Jon’s sister and Jon Halldorsson, married to
Jon’s sister, Anna. Vestur-islenskar ceviskrar
/, by Benjamin Kristjansson, has articles
about the descendants of Bjorn Bjornsson, a
brother of Jon’s father and Anna Halldorsson.
I have been able to discover important back-
ground information about my father by read-
ing these stories.
There is information about Jon in
Heimskringla, Beyond the Marsh, a history of
the Vidir, Lowland and Sylvan school dis-
tricts, and Sequel to Beyond the Marsh, both
compiled by the Vidir Ladies Aid, and A
Century Unfolds: A History of Arborg and
District, compiled by the Arborg Historical
Society.
I was fortunate to discover that the min-
utes of the Vidir School Board, 1908 - 1965,
is one of the documents being saved in the
Evergreen School Division Office in Gimli.
Important historical information about Jon
Sigurdsson can be gleaned by reading about
the history of Vidir School.
Saga Islendinga i Vesturheimi, by
Porstein Porsteinsson has an article about the
emigration of Sigurdur Bjornsson to New
Iceland. It contains important information
related to his background and that of his wife,
Gudfinna, and their children and relatives. It
also quotes information about Jon’s leader-
ship qualities from Olafur Thorgeirsson’s,
Almanak.
The 1933 volume of the Almanak has an
article about Jon Sigurdsson which provides
some significant details about his life.
Magnus Sigurdsson writes that he can be
counted with the foremost leaders in the
Municipality. The article relates that Jon
Sigurdsson has good intelligence, possesses