Meet my Relatives
Stoneson Branch

Roy's grandmother; Gudrun Stoneson Christopherson. Rooney as she was known to us, her brothers were Henry & Eillis Stoneson, who built Stonestown in San Francisco back in the 50's and helped fund a retirement home, The Stafholt Good Samaritan Center still operating in Blaine, WA. Stafholt, was named after Henry and Ellis's mother Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir's place of birth; Stafholt, Borgafjordur, Iceland. Article regarding Stafholt here.
Excerpt from it; "The group - then called “Aldan” - quickly raised more than $7,000 in donations from the Blaine, Point Roberts and Bellingham communities, but that amount was far from enough. A few years later, Aldan acquired the financial support of Stoneson Bros. Builders of San Francisco, the owners of which were originally from Blaine. Stoneson Bros. donated $10,000 along with the services of their architect, which helped get the project off the ground. Blaine Journal newspaper"

Posted a report done by my cousin, Caroline Cartwright. written about 1980 after having interviewed Donald Stoneson.

Since there is almost nothing on the Stonestons on the Internet considering their importance to San Francisco, I am adding this page to bring more information and photos online.

Ellis Leo Stoneson, born 15 Jul 1893, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, died 23 Aug 1952, San Francisco, CA. Residence was Blaine Washington, then Ketchikan, First Judicial District, Alaska, then San Francisco (see photo-right). Married to Kritbjorg Thordarson, b. Iceland, Residence of Selkirk Canada. In the same year, Ellis worked as a Foreman, Salmon Cannery, according to travel documents, and lived in Blaine, Whatcom, Washington.

"Both served as presidents and directors of various local and national home builder and contractor associations. On the cusp of their greatness, the opening of Stonestown in 1952, Ellis died of a heart attack at only 59 years of age. Younger brother Henry passed away just a few years later...".

SEE page on Henry Stoneson for more info and Stoneson Clan page

Ellis Stoneson and his dogs at Clear Lake, California, 1940.

Ellis's eldest son,
1 . Donald Henry Stoneson

and a daughter,
2. Mildred Elaine STONESON Bakhtiari
Midred's son is Karl Baktiari of Stonesfair Financial.
Roy had the pleasure of meeting his cousin Karl at Aunt Dot's Christmas Party
Karl's maternal grandmother :  Sigridur Kristbjorg Thordarson
Karl's maternal grandfather:  Ellis Leo Stoneson

3. youngest was Louise (Eloise) Stoneson Detweiler

From Pauline
Paul Thorsteinson, Dorothea lives beside him, both at Point Roberts. Pending contact.

Joe Stoneson, born

The older Runa, a friend of your grandmother, is Runa Thorsteinson of Point Roberts. Runa is the daughter of Helgi and Dagbjort Thorsteinson. She married Ben Thordarson and they started up Ben's Store. The latest Historical Society newsletter has a feature on Ben's Store. She did a lot of photography and we have her to thank for a lot of historical images of Point Roberts in earlier years.

SYLVIA SCHONBERG
Organist & Pianist

Sylvia Schonberg is a Point Roberts native whose grandparents, Helgi and Dagbjort Thorsteinson, were among the founding members of Trinity’s congregation. She began playing the organ at Trinity at thirteen years of age and has being playing since then at churches wherever she has been.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree at Washington StateUniversity , she raised a family of six children before beginning her teaching career.  Later she received a Master’s Degree in School Counseling fromWestern Washington .

Sylvia returned to Point Roberts in 1987 and has been since then Trinity’s organist and pianist and member of the Worship and Music Committee.

SOURCE: http://www.pointrobertschurch.com/sylviaschonberg.htm

Here is a whole diary by Dagbjort Dagbjartsdottir (Victoria Dagbjört Dagbjartsdóttir), b. 1862 in Iceland.
http://davidsicelandicblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/diary-of-dagbjort-dagbjortsdottir.html
Roy is still clueless as to the connection, perhaps Gudrun Christopherson's best friend.

It would appear that Helgi Þorsteinsson is the connection, yet his father was Þorsteinn Jónsson 1836-1903.
Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson, known to us as Stone Stoneson's father was Þorsteinn Þórðarson, b. 1807.
Hence, no match. Helgi did have a sibling that died at childbirth and a brother named Þorsteinn.
Roy has many photos of this family from the Sig & Hank Christopherson Collection.

Quote from Bruce Costello: Grt Uncle Ellis passed when I was about 3 or 4 so I don't recall him. Grt Uncle Henry, I saw for a bit c. 1957 when he showed up at Westgate one day to visit Grandma Rooney. He seemed a cheerful, outgoing and ebullient man, which people tell me Ellis was not. Uncle Henry died just a few months later and I remember going to family gathering at Grandma's house.

At uncle Sig's funeral I met a friend of he and cousin Stefani, a man named Johannes Newton (Aussie father, Icelandic mother and raised in Iceland).

Mr. Newton said he had done a lot of work on 'our' ancestry. I put parens around 'our' because he sort of rambled on and I wasn't really sure if he meant the Christophersons or Stefani's moms side. He said he was a cousin but Stefani confused things more saying he was related to her mom, Aunt Abela. Of course, Iceland is a small country with a tiny population...

...Anyway, he said we were descended from Snorri son of Thorfinn Karlselfni and of Gurdridur (sp?). Snorri is the first European child recorded as born in the Saga's, and later became a Bishop I understand. Gurdridur was wife to Leif Erickssons overly rambunctious brother Thorvald who started a war with the Indians and got killed. I am curious to know about all this.

This email continues at the Taylor RnD page.
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