|
|
Sigurdurs Saga 'Journey from the Homeland'........ Journey Back 34+ Generations |
Since the beginning of Roy Einar Christopherson's journey, his families history has led to all of the countries mentioned above. Roys parents and grandparents were born in Canada, then for 900 years, Iceland. Then Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Roy includes Finland and Faroe Islands). Roys Great-Grandmother, Caroline Taylor was of British, Irish and Scottish descent. Her parents were William Taylor and Isabella Slimmons/Slemmons. Her grandfather was Richard Taylor. In February, 2006, during the visit of Roy's Aunt Emily Enns and Uncle Hank Enns, the genealogy bug bit Roy for the second time. In the past, his ancestors always beckoned him to bring forth their lifes to his three nephews and four nieces. For eight months straight, night after night, their past was revealed to Roy in bits and pieces, "a giant puzzle waiting to be put together". Having years of genealogy research done by Emily Enns, doing branches on the Einarsons, the start of his journey was made easy. Emily had typed up hoardes of family data sheets by hand. Since then Roy has uncovered many web pages, books, census, and documents on ancestors going back to 800 AD and 225 AD. Each previous generation, uses the last name and the fathers 1st name, then add 'son' for males, and 'dottir' for females. Roy chose to use the Christopherson family as this is my saga as well and my great grandfather's, Sigurdur. |
Image of the Month - May |
Icelanders, Vikings and Kings |
||
 |
Being quite naive, as many of Roy's countrymen in America have become, about this era, Vikings blossomed in Roy's imagination after decades of false iconism by ignorant Hollywood producers and sellers of viking images, Could Erik the Red (Eiríkr rauði) be related? On the Einarson's branch 14 generations back, there is a connection to King Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre). Not sure if this is good or bad, since he drove many of our relatives out of Scandinavian countries. King FairHair was the first to unite all of Norway under one rule. Read more on FairHair under the Ancestors page. Many Icelanders left their homeland in search of a better life. Due in part to the volcano eruption of Mount Askja and a disease that killed many including Sigurdur's father, Kristófer Andrésson. He died in 1865, during a typhoid epidemic. The whole family had been very sick at the time and their mother, Sigurveig Sigurdurdottir, was unconscious and very low. A kind neighbor helped the three older boys bury their father. . "The first Icelander to land on Canadian shores since his Norse ancestors was 22-year-old Sigtryggur Jonasson, who arrived in Québec City on 12 September 1872" [1] |
 |
 |
Image M.W.C_092. Front id GGF Sigurdur and Caroline Christopherson. Back is Stina, young John, William, and Susie. |
False Viking | Stamp of King FairHair |
|
While Vikings (Old Norse: víkingr) plundered innocent settlements along coastal waters, traveling as far as Constantinople, many were simple farmers, along with explorers, fishermen, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. In England the Viking Age began dramatically on June 16, 793. Many farmers would have to serve the King or petty king and take their axe into battles as payment for tax. The wealthier ones may have had a helmet and a chain mail shirt. Roys favorite artist, Frank Frazetta, has done a great painting of Norsemen, titled "Kane on the Golden Sea", which still influences him today in his artwork. Roy's appreciation and understanding of the skilled seamen has made him realize they did not wear horned helmets, least not like the ones always associated with Vikings, and the Icelandic history is very extensive. The Icelanders have the oldest Parliament (Alþingi) started in 930 AD. Many of our GGF's were lög(sögu)maður (Lawspeakers) at this event. For 3 days they would have to recite all the laws. The Canadian Government welcomed the 1870's Icelandic immigrants as "honest people". |
1. Viking Routes, 2. Ingólfr Arnarson, 3. Þorsteinn Ingólfsson statue in Reykjavík |
|
Roy has embarked on a journey to bring his grand parents and great grand parents (GGF/GGM) history to his nieces, nephews and cousins. Local Parish in the east (Iceland) maintained a census, many Icelanders are listed there and when they emigrated to Canada, U.S.A. and Brazil. Some branches stop 5 - 6 generations back. Many Icelandic descendants come from a few settlers of Iceland, emigrating from Sweden and Norway. The wealthier families had Thralls of Irish descent and from other countries. Basically a slave, however, some were given large amounts of land, as in the case of Ingolfur's Thrall. "We cannot choose who our ancestors were" We did not live in their times, nor ever fully understand them. |
  |
Paternal GGF Ingólfr Arnarson and Hallveig Fróðadóttir - Visit the Saga Museum, Ice field |
|
 |
Story of Sigurdur Christopherson (Sigurður Kristófersson, Kristófersson, Sigurður) Sigurdur was born July 9th 1848 in farm Ytri-Neslönd, Neslondum, in the beautiful Lake Mývatn district in Northern Iceland. He was a pioneer of New Iceland, now known as Gimli. farmer, first to home-stead in what is now known as the Argyle District, calling their new home Grund. He was an Immigration Agent in Iceland on behalf of the Canadian government, with one trip taking a full year, and Father of Swan River, according to Nonni, Postmaster in Baldur, General storekeeper, real estate and insurance sales and welcomed all of his neighbors. Grund Church was built next door. They changed their name to Christopherson. Helped when neigbors needed a hand. He suggested name for Baldur, Manitoba and served on the first Baldur Town Council. Carrie Ave. was named after Caroline Nee Taylor Christopherson, daughter of William, niece to John Taylor, who helped raise her. They moved to Surrey, British Columbia, now Ocean Park and named their place ’Ytranes’. Named Christopherson Road after Sigurdur and Caroline Taylor. She wanted it named, 'Argyle'. Grund (between Baldur and Glenboro) still stand to this day. and Ytranes (2215 Christopherson RD.) was demolished. Sigurdur's son was Kjartan "Kay" Christopherson, my grandfather....Read more at Sigurdur's page |
| Story of Stone Stoneson (Þórsteinsson, T, Stoneson, Stone ) Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson, changed his name to Stone Stoneson, born April 11, 1860 at Hraunkoy, Borgarfjordur, Iceland, Stone immigrated on September 4, 1874, NO. 109, Labourer, Age 21, Pg 290, S.S. Saint Patrick, Akureyri, Iceland, worked as a Laborer and lived in 1920 at Blaine, Whatcom, Washington. Stone passed away January 2, 1935 in British Columbia, Canada. Stone and Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir were married in 1887 at Winnipeg, Canada. Ingibjörg was only 1 year old when her father drowned and Jóhannes 10 years old. While Stoneson travelled a great distance bringing himself and family to WA, his oldest son, Joe, tragically dies in his youth after he was in his 30's. The other two brothers who would be come more well known were, Henry & Ellis Stoneson, who arrived in 1920, built Lakeside District and Lakeside Village (1937 to WWII), Stonestown Shopping Center (1952), 700 Stoneson Apartments, homes in ST. Mary's Park of the Mission District near Crocker-Amazon Park, built 1 house a day in Lake Merced areaand more, known for "Building a City within a City". The Stoneson Development Corporation built close to 25,000 homes in the Bay Area and became one of the nation's largest home building companies. During the opening of Stonestown, Ellis died of a heart attack at only 59 years of age. Younger brother Henry passed away just a few years later. Because of their proclivity for sneaking derivatives of "Stone" into their street names and developments, the Stoneson brothers made sure San Francisco couldn't forget their work. Stonestown, the shopping mall adjacent to Lake Merced, was developed from sixty-seven acres of land, owned at that time by the Stoneson brothers. Built in 1955 and 1956 by Stoneson Development, Millbrae Meadows is a mix of appealing Eichler-like single-story homes and 2-story conventional designs ......Read more at Stone Stoneson's page |
 |
|
  |
Story of Einar Einarson (Einar Einarsson, Einarsson, Einar ) Einar Einarson, Einar was born in 1846 in Iceland. He became an emigrant in Canada and worked laying down the first Trans-Continental Railway across Canada. He would come home with frost bitten fingertips and actually peel skin off the tips. The only early remedy is to rub snow on the frost bite. Einar's name was changed from Erickson when Einar was in Iceland. He changed it to Einarson when he arrived in Canada. Pauline Einarson Christopherson said it might have been easier to pronounce, Einarson. But then she said she did not know the exact reason. Einar was about twenty years older than her Great Grandmother. According to Randy Einarsson, Saskatchewan, Canada, if the same GGF, when Einar joined the Army in WWII, changed it. Einar died in Winnipeg, Canada at the age of 74 from a lump in his right side. Einar worked in the Canadian Pacific Railway his whole life. He has been hard to track. His son Gudbrandur's wife, Maria, is related to Skapti Arason and my GGF....Read more at Einar Einarson's page |
|
Story of Arni Sigvaldson (Ernest Sigvaldason, Sigvaldson, Ernst) Before there was a village at Lake Benton he reported he cut hay where the main portion of the town now stands, and lie often went to the image of Marshfield to trade. Ernest SIGVALDSON, Birth. May 12, 1847 in Iceland. In 1873 he emigrated from Vopnafjörður, Iceland to Milwaukee on the ship Björg and Queen (Ak.), and settled in Milwaukee where he worked for three years in the railroad shops 1876 he moved to Madison in Wisconsin where he attended the Academy for six months. From there he went to Michigan where he stayed a short time and thence to Winnepeg. Manitoba Canada, and worked for a time in a grocery store. In 1878 he came to Marshall, Minnesota where he was married the same year to Miss Guðrún Aradóttir, born May 1848 in Iceland. She left Húsavík, Iceland to Milwaukee on the Ship Hjálmar. Shortly after he settled on a farm in Limestone township, Lincoln county, where he resided. June 25th, 1896 the Sigvaldasons left for Chicago. Árni was seeking medical attention for cancer in the lip. 1899 moved to Township-Lake Benton, Lincoln County, Minnesota. Mr. Sigvaldson served as one of the supervisors when the township of Limestone was organized...Read more about Arni Sigvaldson's page |
 |
|
 |
Hosted by GoDaddy |
Webmaster: Roy Einar Christopherson |
|
Created in Dreamweaver 8 Cause Adobe CS5 is too expensive |
 |