In gratitude, the township paid for the grave monument to Þórðar in the church cemetery on Washington Island.
Þórður Guðmundsen was born in Gullbringusýsla on March 14, 1848. He died on Washington Island on January 29, 1899. He was known as Dr. Thordur Gudmundsen in the west.
Unmarried and childless.
Þórður’s brother Árni emigrated west in 1872 and settled on Washington Island, Wisconsin. They were the sons of Þórðar Guðmundsen, a sheriff. Þórður studied medicine and, after consulting with his brother, emigrated west in 1885 and also settled on Washington Island. His arrival attracted much attention in Door County. A reporter for the Door County Advocate, September 3, 1885 wrote: “We now have on the island a physician in the person of Dr. Gudmundsen who is from Iceland and who is a brother of our town treasurer.”