Jóhann Guðrún Símonardóttir Photo: VÍÆ I
Jóhanna Guðrún Símonardóttir was born in New Iceland on March 16, 1878. She died in Winnipeg on October 13, 1960.
Spouse: May 1, 1901 Jósef Björnsson b. at Hnausum in Húnavatnssýsla on November 14, 1873, d. in Winnipeg on April 17, 1950. He took the name Joseph Bjornsson Skaptason in the west.
Children: 1. Anna Guðrún Hólmfríður b. March 21, 1917 2. Jóhanna Guðrún b. November 15, 1919. They took in as a foster child Margrét\i Hólmfríður Björnsdóttir, b. November 29, 1902.
Jóhanna was the daughter of Símon Símonarson and Valdís Guðmundsdóttir. She moved with her parents to Winnipeg from New Iceland in 1881. There she later went to school, graduated as a teacher and taught in Árnes in New Iceland 1895-1896, as a tutor in Richmond, Indiana 1896-1897, then went to Copenhagen under the guidance of her half-brother Valtýs Guðmundsson, then went to Iceland in 1898 on her way back to Manitoba. Jósef came west to Canada in 1883 with his parents, Björn Stefán Jósefsson and Margrét Stefánsdóttir. Jósef first lived in Winnipeg, where he started working in retail at a young age, both in Winnipeg and in the Hnausa Settlement in New Iceland. They lived in Selkirk 1920-1932 and after that in Winnipeg.