Hallsteinn Björnsson was born in Gimli on January 29, 1884.
Spouse: September 13, 1913 Anna Gunnlaugsdóttir b. in Saskatchewan on September 13, 1899.
Children: 1. Hallsteinn b. October 8, 1911, twin 2. Joseph Björn b. October 8, 1911 3. Haraldur Marelius b. May 2, 1914 4. Jóhann Skapti b. December 9, 1919.
Hallsteinn was the son of Björn S. Jósefsson and Margrét Stefánsdóttir who came west in 1883. Anna was the daughter of Gunnlaugur Jóhannsson who came west from Eyjafjörður in 1888 and his first wife, Elín Jónsdóttir. Hallsteinn accompanied his parents to Selkirk in 1885 and from there to Winnipeg in 1890. He went with them to the Hnausa Settlement, but from there he attended a business school in Winnipeg. He worked in real estate sales in Winnipeg and was the managing director of Heimskringla 1913-1916. He next tried farming in the Argyle Settlement 1916-1933. He then became a trader in Ashern, Manitoba, but ended up selling real estate back in Winnipeg.