Sigbjörn Sigurðsson
Guðni Júlíus Eyjólfsson, better known as G. J. Oleson was a prolific storyteller in Manitoba, Canada in the early 20th century. He wrote local stories, biographies and memoirs. In 1940, he discussed a significant settler in the Icelandic settlement in Minnesota. His name was Sigbjörn Sigurðsson. Let’s give Guðni the word:
Sigbjörn Sigurðsson Hofteig
“Sigbjörn Sigurðsson Hofteig, 1841 – 1937. In the first years of the Icelanders here on the continent, it was farmers and common people who first carried the Icelandic flag to victory. Their hard work, foresight and humanity in the difficult struggle for life earned the Icelanders a pride that has never since been taken from them. It was not the result of the Icelandic people who migrated west from a cultural point of view, most of them were poor, but they had a spiritual wealth and superiority of humanity, which earned them a place among the best people of any nation. They were men in the slush, many of the Icelandic layman, both in terms of intelligence, initiative and leadership, and in most and even all Icelandic villages there were these outstanding men – district leaders, who stood head and shoulders above the masses. One of these men was the man whom I would like to briefly mention here – Sigbjörn Sigurðsson Hofteig, who throughout his time here in the west was the district leader of Lyon County in Minnesota.”
Birth – at Hofteig
“He was an Austfjörður (East fjords man) by family and origin, born at Breiðmýri in Vopnafjörður, December 31, 1841. His father was Sigurður Rustikusson, a farmer on Bjarnason’s Breiðmýri. Bjarni’s wife was Kristín Rustikusdóttir Þorsteinsson, a farmer in Koreksstaðir and elsewhere. Þorsteinn Rustikus’ father, Magnússon, was a farmer in Sledbrjót around 1700. Þorsteinn’s wife, Rustikus’ mother, was Vigdís Styrbjarnardóttir Magnússon farmer in Jökulsárhlíð. Magnús lived in Sledbrjót and is said to be descended from Mávi, to whom Mássel is known, – his wife and Styrbjarni’s mother was Járngerður Ólafsdóttir, the sister of Ásmundur the blind farmer at Hrafnabjörg in Hlíð. Sigbjörn’s mother, Sigurður Rustikusson’s wife, was Solveig Sigurðardóttir postman´s, Steingrímsson Jónsson Þorleifsson, farmer on Hafursá, who died in 1785. Sigurður’s postman’s mother and Steingrím’s wife was Snjófríður Sigurðardóttir Einarsson’s district director in Geitdal, Snjófríður’s mother was Sólrún Árnadóttir, Sigurður’s first wife. Her father, Árni Jónsson, a farmer in Geitdal and later at Brú at Jökuldal Bjarnason, Jónsson, Bjarnason priest in Bjarnarnes 1633-71. His father Bjarni was a goldsmith in Berunesi, but Reverend Jón’s mother was Sigríður Einarsdóttir, the sister of Bishop Odd in Skálholt. Their father was priest Einar Sigurðsson in Heydalur. The source for this genealogy is the genealogy of Reverend Einar Jónsson, a genealogist who was a priest at Hof and Kirkjubær, he has traced Sigbjörn’s family to Björn Jórsalafari, Sæmundur Fróði, Snorri Sturluson and King Harald Fairhair, in the paternal line. Sigbjörn must have grown up in his parents’ house before his confirmation, it is believed that he went to Reverend Þorgrímur at Hofteig at the age of 16, at the age of 19 he was diagnosed with a serious internal disease and asked for help and assistance from Reverend Þorgrímm, he went to Akureyri to doctor Jón Finnson. He went north with men on foot, reached the north of Þingeyjarsýsla, fell ill there and lay there for a week, but persevered and with the help of good people he reached Akureyri. Sigbjörn suffered from a serious internal lesion, but surgery was not common then, the doctor burned the skin and then stabbed the lesion, when it had burned enough. After Dr. Finnson had burned once, he got sick or had an accident, so he couldn’t take care of Sigbjörn for a long time. The burn healed and shriveled and was now easier to deal with than before, finally the doctor started to deal with the patient again, he was dealing with him all winter. In the spring he cut the lesion and it was successful and Sigbjörn made a full recovery. It was hard and painful recovery. Reverend Þorgrímur paid for Sigbjörn, but he paid him back every penny. He was so grateful to Reverend Þorgrímur and his wife Guðríður Pétursdóttir from Engey, he praised them both ever after they took care of him at Hofteig with that he took it as a family name when he came to the West.”
Marriage – Journey West
Steinunn Magnúsdóttir
“In the fall of 1868, he married Miss Steinunn Magnúsdóttir, a free farmer at Skeggjastaðir in Jökuldalur. She was born on February 6, 1848. He lived there opposite his father-in-law until 1874, but then moved to Mýnes in Eiðaþinghá, and lived there for 4 years. He was very hard-working from a very young age, and it soon became clear from his farming that he was proactive and considerate with a sense of humanity and ambition, and he quickly grew in the opinion of his neighbors and was elected to both the district committee and the county committee. In 1878 he moved to the West. It was not difficult circumstances that drove him west across the ocean, like the large number of those who migrated west, because he did well the few years he lived in Iceland. But it came to a point that it was necessary to build up the farm in Mýnes, he either had to do it now or move away, so he threw the dice and moved west, no doubt he would have stood in the front row of farmers at home as he did here and prospered, because that is not where the man is, but how he lives, which determines what he will become in life. There had been quite a few emigrations from the East in recent years, and most of them went to Minnesota and he followed the flow there, and he settled in an Icelandic settlement in Minnesota and he bought a farm (160 acres of land) in Lyon County northeast of the town of Minneota, the price was $800, included in the purchase was some livestock. He immediately paid $600, and it wasn’t long before he had paid it all. He missed Iceland, and at first he regretted the changes, but soon he accepted the environment and culture in the Western Hemisphere. Sigbjörn was a quiet man and curious about many things. When he came to the hill where he lived in Minnesota, he immediately recognized the place, although he had never been there before, he told me himself that he had seen this place so clearly in his sleep, six years before he moved from Iceland. Undoubtedly, the hand of Providence has led him to this place, where his success and fame were so great. As if the same hand led the dependable Ingimundur the old from Norway north to Vatnsdalur in Iceland contrary to his intentions. I have often felt a spiritual kinship between this nobleman of antiquity and Sigbjörn.”
Icelandic society on American soil
“Sigbjörn did extremely well in farming, he added land, and quickly became prosperous, improved his farm well and tastefully, and became, as has been said before, the leader of his district. Sigbjörn was a man with high ideals, who placed a high value on spiritual culture, he worked hard and sacrificed a lot to educate his children, most of his daughters reached the position of teacher, and taught for more or less time. His eldest daughter, Guðný, graduated from Gustafus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. and she taught at a high school for a few years, or until she married. In all social matters that affected the health and well-being of his district, he took a great part, and was always at the head of the fight, he was a great and sincere believer and a leader in church activities around him until the last moment. In the early years, he founded a Sunday school and led it with his life and soul, and for about 15 years he was the president of the Vesturheim congregation. He was a great friend of children and he wanted to inculcate in the youth a pure and healthy faith and healthy rules of life. He was well-respected by everyone for his sincerity, interest, hard work and humanity, he was a serious and ethical person and tough to deal with when it came to matters that he felt were very important, and he didn’t let them get his way. He was well able to stand in the front, because he was well read and knowledgeable about many things, well-spoken and logical. He was a strong supporter of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and sat in its meetings as a representative of his congregation for several years and was highly valued there. In the general social affairs of his village, he took a great part, he was on the board of the Icelandic Trade Association (Verzlunarfélags Íslendinga) in the village, while it was in existence, and later on the board of the Norwegian cooperative trade in Cottonwood. He also sat on the school board and held various positions of trust that will not be mentioned here.”
Epilog
“In his home he was both caring and controlling. He and his wife gained public fame for their hospitality and helpfulness to the poor. The newspaper “Minneota Mascot” had this to say in his obituary: “His home was always open to visitors and travelers, and his hospitality was second to none in the county, he was respected by all for his leadership ability, humanity and integrity, and loved for his pure friendship and sincerity from the bottom of the heart.” Sigurbj. Ástvaldur Gíslason wrote about him in “Bjarma” a warm essay in 1914. Among other things, he says: “He has seen and experienced a lot in these 72 years, which he has behind him, his conditions will be different now or when he started farming in the West , and although his health is still fair, there is still a considerable difference from when he used to walk Jökuldalsfjöll, – last year cancer was removed from his lip and throat, and he has now recovered quite well. But one thing has not changed, he says himself, God’s grace has never changed, it is his joy and refuge now as before.” I saw this uncle of mine for the first time in 1896, he came to a synod meeting held in Argyle. He then came to us and it was night, he was 55 years old then. He came north again 15-16 years later, he was then still young and young in spirit. 13 years after Ástvaldur Gíslason wrote in the “Bjarma” article, I visited him in Minnesota in the fall of 1927, and speeding up now I felt that this day I would get to see him alive, he was 86 years old then, I was surprised to see he is strong and energetic and still young in spirit. I visited him again in 1930, then he was still surprisingly healthy, but his sight had mostly gone. He went from meeting to meeting at the Minneota Synod and spoke to the assembly with power, it was the last time he addressed a Synod assembly. All this shows how much mental and physical endurance was built into him and how well he handled his responsibility. And he still had a few years left. It was not until Jan. 5. 1937 the light went out. He had faced every day to the end, and he had a quiet death. His wife died on October 1, 1933. What a man sows, so shall he also reap. Sigbjörn sowed well and he reaped well. Few have fared better here in the west than he, and his family, few have been more fortunate. He lived well, he had handsome and lucky children and grandchildren, he was fit and healthy throughout most of his life , which was longer than usually happens, – he had a quiet and beautiful life, was grateful and satisfied with life and looked forward to sailing on the unknown sea. He helped many with good advice, and gave to many. He enjoyed making a good impression. These words could easily have been put into his mouth: “It’s not what I achieve in life in particular that matters, but what I can contribute, in what way I can best enrich life. That’s the most important thing.”
English version by Thor group