Hjörtur Þórðarson Photo: SÍND
Tryggvi or Trig as his family called him. Photo: WIA
Devey and Júlíana Photo: Washington Island Archives
Hjörtur Þórðarson was born in Húnavatnssýsla on May 12, 1867. He died in Wisconsin on January 6, 1945.
Spouse: December 31, 1894, Júlíana Friðriksdóttir b. in Árnessýslu on Septmeber 7, 1859, d. June 17, 1955.
Children: 1. Dewey b. April 14, 1897, d. April 9, 1968 2. Tryggvi b. 1903.
Hjörtur emigrated west to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his parents and siblings in 1873. His father, Þórður Árnason, died just two months after arriving. A widow, Guðrún Grímsdóttir, settled with a Norwegian farmer in Dane County. They lived there until the fall of 1875 when Guðrún and the children moved to the Icelandic settlement in Shawano. The road then led them to N. Dakota in 1879. Hjörtur left the area in 1885 and settled in Chicago where he worked and married. Although the couple lived in Chicago, they dreamed of a home away from the city, and because of Júlíana’s parents settled among the Icelanders on Washington Island, Wisconsin, they began to plan their move. In 1910 Hjörtur bought a large portion of a small island called The Rock, just northeast of Washington Island. They usually lived there during the summer months and sometimes throughout the year.
Hjörtur had an estate built with one of the most notable buildings being the Boathouse, which was a boathouse, a dining and banquet hall, and an office. Icelandic workers, many of whom from Lundar were hired to work on the buildings. Photo: Door County Archives