Guðrún Jónsdóttir came to Winnipeg in 1876, at the age of 19, while her parents went to New Iceland. She had been one of the first Icelanders to settle there, but it is worth noting. Although she worked at the home of an English-speaking couple, she had certainly gotten to know her countrymen in the city. Numerous young girls and boys were among the first to settle there in the years 1876-1880. Guðrún had probably met people who had a hard time establishing themselves in the multinational community that was being shaped in the city. In 1880, her parents moved to the city from New Iceland, her father then ill and he died in the city shortly afterwards. Her mother, the widow Rebekka Guðmundsdóttir, soon saw that more women were in pain, some lived in difficult circumstances. She played a major role in the Icelandic women’s decision to form an association to help needy countries, and in 1881 it came into being. Let’s get to know that company a little bit. In the 1st volume of Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélag Íslendingar in 1919, which was printed in Winnipeg, an article was published by Rögnvald Pétursson which he calls “Þjóðræknissamtök Íslendingar í Vesturheimi”. A sequel appeared in the 2nd year in 1920 and begins as follows: “In the summer of 1881, the “Icelandic Women’s Association in Winnipeg” was probably the first society of its kind among Icelanders here on the continent”.
Summer walk
Rögnvaldur Pétursson continues: “It was the beginning of this society, according to one of the founders, when some women and girls walked one day late in the summer west of town, for fun, west on the great grassy plain that spreads as far as the eye can see north and west of Winnipeg. But it did not take long at that time for the access to the plain, for the town was small, built mostly along the riverbanks. When they reached the plain, they sat down and began to talk about the condition of the immigrants and others in the town. They then agreed that they should establish an association among Icelandic women in Winnipeg, and that the association should do its best to help unemployed people and protect those that are young and old from landing in the rubbish heap. These women were Rebekka Guðmundsdóttir, her daughter Guðrún Jónsdóttir who married the poet Kristin Stefánsson, Kristrún Sveinungadóttir, her daughter, Svava Björnsdóttir who married in 1885 Björn Sæmundsson Líndal and lived by Markland in Grunnavatnsbyggð (Shoal Lake Settlement), Þorbjörg Björnsdóttir the wife of Björn Jónsson from Ás in Kelduhverfi, Signý Pálsdóttir the wife Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson in Hróarstunga, Helga Jónsdóttir the wife of Jón Ólafsson county clerk, and Hildur Halldórsdóttir the widow of Jón Sigfússon. These women held a meeting sometime later in Rebekka Guðmundsdóttir’s house and more people had gathered. Rebekka was elected president, Signý Pálsdóttir treasurer”.
Guðrún’s Contribution
The association worked hard from the beginning and did many good things. The members were mainly fundraisers in support of various charities. The mothers Rebekka and Guðrún were strong in the early years and Rögnvaldur wrote about Guðrún’s part after discussing the association’s financial support, among other things, for the school management with Framfarafélag (Progress Club) in the city: “In addition, in this first year of operation, one of the founders, Guðrún Jónsdóttir, mentioned earlier, donated half of her salary that year to the school, and the amount was $ 7.50 per month. It was all a lot of money considering the financial situations of the people in those years. In particular, it was a lot to give, half the salary, for a young girl who lived in the dormitory for $ 15.00 a month. It showed concern for those who needed education, and the idea that it be made as easy as possible for teenagers to get here.” Framfarafélagið and The Icelandic Womens Association did a lot of good work together, but when the congregation of the Icelandic Church started such work with the return of Reverend Jón Bjarnason, the emphasis began to change. Rögnvaldur wrote about this: “For the next two years, the association operated in the same way as before, the member cooperation and the collaboration with Framfarafélagið was the best, but after that came disunity. Like Framfarafélagið, the forces changed after the church activities began to demand more time and financial contributions. Some of the women members, who had recently joined the association, wanted the association to focus solely on congregational activities, but a few older members such as Guðrún (Jónsdóttir) Stefánsson, Kristrún Sveinungadóttir, Signý Pálsdóttir and others were opposed, and the company’s original purpose was then considered lost. Thus, two factions grew, but the resources were not sufficient to work on both. As is often the case, the interest in the association waned, the factions suddenly became unequal and the majority ruled. Those who opposed turning the association into a church women’s association either resigned or did not participate. The company dissolved in this way and after 1890 it was not mentioned at all.”
English version by Thor Group.