Þorleifur Jóakimsson writes of Jón Hildibrandsson in his publication Brot af Landnámssögu Nýja Íslands and there he says:
“Jón moved to Winnipeg in the summer of 1880 and stayed there for 7 years and four months. First worked on the C.P.R. railroad for about five months, and then construction work after that most of the time he was in town. He helped the late Helgi Jónsson* to build Framfarafélagshúsið** in the summer of 1881, and he built five other houses with Helgi. He lived on Young Street, bought a town plot there and built himself a house. He moved to New Iceland again in 1887 and arrived there on December 24. He took land three and a half miles north of the Hnausa P.O., and named it Kolsstaðir. Jón has worked a lot on construction sites in his community. He has taken a good part in the affairs of the congregation. He was the secretary of the Breiðavík congregation from the time it was formed until he resigned at the annual meeting in 1916. He has a strong memory and in talking with the older men he likes to go back to his homeland and recall childhood memories. He had an accident last December 23 (insert: JÞ 1918) when his and his son’s house (Sigfús insert: JÞ) burned down; hardly anything was saved. The loss of his entire Icelandic library hurt the most, he and his sons read a lot when there was time for it. Jón is an optimistic man and has not been discouraged in the waves of life.”
*Helgi Jónsson was a great entrepreneur in Winnipeg around 1880. He became quite wealthy and took part in Icelandic society in Winnipeg. JÞ.
**Íslendingafélag was founded in Winnipeg on September 6, 1877. It went by various names until 1881 when the name ”Framfarafélag Íslendinga í Vesturheimi” was adopted and remained so. JÞ.
English version by Thor group