Meet our Grandparent Sigurdur Christopherson by Roy Einar Christopherson

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Since the beginning of Roy Einar Christopherson's journey, his families history has led to all of the countries mentioned above (Flags in banner image). Roy is a 4th gen. American. His parents, and grandparents were born in Canada, then for 900 years, Iceland. Then Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Roy includes Finland and Faroe Islands). Recent discoveries include the Orkney Islands, & Scotland. Roys Great-Grandmother, Caroline TAYLOR Christopherson was of British, Irish and Scottish descent. Her parents were William Stewart Taylor and Isabella Slimmons/Slemins. William's grandfather was Richard Taylor of Bristol, ENG. In 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 his saga, as well as his great grandfather's, Sigurdur.
Welcome to Sigurdurs Saga, 'Journey from the Homeland'. The family website and a PDF book.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH -	UNKNOWN PERSON(S) OF THE MONTH	Icelanders, Vikings and Kings
Sorry, working on replacing this whole page, this section is going away.		Being quite naive, as many of Roy's countrymen in America have become about this era of the Viking Age, Vikings blossomed in his imagination after decades of false icon-ism by ignorant Hollywood producers, and sellers of viking images. While there are a handful of examples of possible antlers (horns) on helms, those are considered to have been ceremonial. Certainly not for battle, nor bull horns as modeled by the cat on the right. 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). He was known to have a tangled mess of hair, hence called the opposite, FineHair. Not sure if this is good or bad, since he drove many of our relatives out of Scandinavian countries. Before Harald there were many Petty Kings ruling smaller areas of Norway and Sweden. 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, starting March 29, 1875, along with a disease that killed many including Sigurdur's father, Kristófer Andrésson. He died in 1865, during a typhoid epidemic. The whole Kristófersson 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]	False Viking

Text Courtesy of x Collection	Not yet numbered Unknown soldier. Perhaps a friend of Veiga's? Courtesy of The Miriam Westereng Collection View more Unknown Persons Past months Archives		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. Roy's minimal understanding of the skilled seamen has lead to reading Sagas, well, a couple, learning that they did not wear horned helmets associated with Vikings, and the Icelandic history is very extensive, due in part to the inhabitants being an 'island unto themselves'. Just as with many western stories of heroes when some were just Bushwackers (shooting from bushes, not face to face), some Vikings stormed monasteries killing unarmed monks. Many Great Grandfathers were vikings, more were noble men, not just plundering pirates. More were involved in trading, having the responsibility as a Cheftain, which looked after the community as a whole in maintaining law and order. 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. Leif Ericsson (Old Norse Leifr Eiriksson), 3. Ingólfr Arnarson statue in Reykjavík
Roy has embarked on a journey to bring his grand parents and great grand parents (GGF/GGM), and ancestors history to his nieces, nephews and cousins. Locate family across the globe, and bring vintage family photos here for all family to see. 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. It is up to us Americans and Canadians of Icelandic descent to connect our generation to Iceland. The Icelandic Data Base does not! Many Icelandic descendants come from a few settlers of Iceland, emigrating from Sweden and Norway. The wealthier families had Thralls (þræll) 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 will we fully understand them. Ingólfr settled Iceland. More is posted about him under the Family Tree - Great Ancestor page. Roy is a direct male (paternal) descendant of Ingólfr. Ingólfr's blood courses through us.
	Paternal GGF Ingólfr Arnarson and Hallveig Fróðadóttir - Visit the Saga Museum, Ice field

Story of Sigurður 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. Covered on this website is how he founded Baldur. Sigurdur was an Immigration Agent traveling to Iceland on behalf of the Canadian government, with one trip taking a full year. He and a few others helped a great deal of families leave poverty behind. Sigurdur was Father of Swan River, according to Nonni, He was the founder and Postmaster of Baldur, General storekeeper, real estate and insurance sales, and welcomed all of his neighbors. Grund Church was built next door. Helped when neigbors needed a hand.

They changed their name to Christopherson before August of 1893. Sigurdur suggested the name for Baldur, Manitoba and served on the first Baldur Town Council. Carrie Ave., in Baldur, Manitoba, Canada was named after Caroline Nee Taylor Christopherson, daughter of William, niece to John Taylor, who helped raise her, Sigurdur's intelligent and devoted wife. On advice from a doctor, Sigurdur & Caroline 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 stands to this day. Ytranes (2215 Christopherson RD., Surrey, B.C., Canada) no longer stands, however, the family honest reputation endures forever. Books mention the Christophersons and Taylors as they are inter-twined with New Iceland. Roy has even completed his own book mentioned above. One of Sigurdur's children was Kjartan "Kay" Christopherson, Roy's grandfather.... Read more on the whole family 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.

Emma Stoneson married into the Oddstad family (See Oddstad Clan).

While Stoneson travelled a great distance bringing himself and family to Washington state, his oldest son, Joe, tragically dies in his youth after he was in his 30's.

The other two brothers, sons of Stone, who would become more well known were, Henry & Ellis Stoneson, who arrived in San Francisco 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 area and 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 could not 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.

Guðrún Stoneson married into the Christopherson family. She is Roy's Grandmother. Built in 1955 and 1956 by Stoneson Development, Roy's family's home in the 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 Einarson*, Einar was born in 1846 in Iceland. He married Soffía Guðbrandsdóttir. They had nine children together. Immigrated August 22nd, 1883 to Quebec, Quebec, and worked laying down the first Trans-Continental Railway across Canada. Roy's Great Grandfather, Einar, 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. They lived in Keewatin, now Manitoba, and settled in Winnipeg, Canada. 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 Married 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 worked in the Canadian Pacific Railway his whole life. Einar died in Winnipeg, Canada at the age of 74 from a lump in his right side. He has been hard to track. Roy's family has 3 full branches of Icelanders, and one branch of English, Irish, Scottish family. Einar's son, Gudbrandur's wife, Maria, is related to Skapti Arason* and Roy's GGF....Read more at Einar Einarson's page

Story of Arni Sigvaldson (Ernest Sigvaldason, Sigvaldson, Ernst)
Arni Sigvaldson a.k.a. Ernest, father of Mary Jacobina Sigvaldson Einarson (Roy Christopherson's Grandmother). From Búastöðum in Vopnafirði, born there 12 May 1847. In 1873 Arni emigrated from 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. Undoubtedly one of the most remarkable players in the group of pioneers and one of the first who moved west. He came alone to the west in 1873; was first in Milwaukee, Wisc., and had toiled some work there. He did well, and collected a bit of money. This went well because he was good-tempered and intelligent.

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. Before there was a village at Lake Benton he reported cut hay where the main portion of the town now stands, and often went to the location of Marshfield to trade.

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. The 'a' was dropped from the family name. Árni was seeking medical attention for cancer in the lip. He sought the best medical of his time. 1899, the family moved to Township-Lake Benton, Lincoln County, Minnesota. Mr. Sigvaldson served as one of the supervisors when the township of Limestone was organized He was Justice of the Peace for many years...Read more about Arni Sigvaldson's page

Meet the Whole Family

Icelanders, Vikings and Kings