Thórstína took on the huge task of recording information about Icelandic settlers in N. Dakota. She started collecting information in the second decade of the 20th century and in 1926 her book ‘Saga Íslendinga í N. Dakota’ was published. The project was well-received, the settlers or their descendants responded well and helped her in every way. Some had a lot to say and sent many essays about the early years in America. One of them was Rósa Jónsdóttir, wife of Jón Þórðarson from Höfðahverfi. Thórstína wrote a story based on Rósa’s essay, and the following are excerpts from the story that appeared in the book.
Origin: Jón was born and raised in Sker in Höfðahverfi, east of Eyjafjörður. His parents were Þórður, well-known in the north as a harbor pilot in Eyjafjörður, and his wife Ingibjörg. Rósa was the daughter of Jón Þorsteinsson and his wife Lilja Ólafsdóttir, who for a long time lived in Syðra-Laugaland in Staðarbygð, and then in Þverá in the same district. Jón and Rósa, then recently married, went to America with one of their children, a few weeks old, with the group which set off from Akureyri on August 4, 1873. That trip has been described very clearly. Most of the people settled in Ontario, while the rest continued to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jón and Rósa remained there, but moved in the fall with others to Milwaukee, arriving there on November 6. They lived there for 4 years, and Jón’s main job was shipbuilding and sawmilling. In the summer of 1877 they moved to Winnipeg, and from there a little over a year later to Dakota — now North Dakota — which was then being settled. There, Jón and other Icelanders homesteaded not far from Pembina. This was around the fall of 1878. Jón had no means to build on the homestead land but rented a log cabin nearby to live in during the winter, with one window on the north side, so there was little light inside. Winter reserves were small, and there was no work during the winter, except for a little logging by the settlers who had arrived before. Potatoes and bread were the only subsistence that could be acquired, but it could even fail for a few days, but never long periods. They moved in there with three children, and a fourth was added during the winter. In the spring of 1879, Jón built a decent house on his land, and the settlement began to grow. Among the immigrants were Rósa’s two brothers, Þorsteinn and Kristján, Páll Jóhannesson from Víkingavatn, Arngrímur Jónsson from Héðinshöfði and others. Jón and Rósa lived there for four years, but then moved west to the Icelandic village along the Pembina Mountains in 1882. There they obtained ownership rights to a farm, which lies halfway between Garðar and Mountain, and lived there for three and a half years, but then moved from there to another land half a mile east of Garðar and lived there for eight and a half years.
Wheat trade: At that time Jón worked for others, trading wheat in nearby villages, Edinburg and Hilton, time and time during the winter. In 1892 he was offered a position overseeing the wheat and lumber business in Hensel, a small village along the newly built railroad between Grafton and Cavalier. Then he stopped farming and devoted himself exclusively to that work and lived in Hensel for 10 years. After that time, in 1902, Jón and Rósa moved to Esmond, North Dakota, probably mostly at the urging of their daughter Ingibjörg, who was married to Richard Swenge*, a bank manager in that town. Jón had a wheat trading job there until the day he died. He died on May 11, 1911, cancer killed him. Jón was kind to everyone who met him and took a tireless part in every association that looked beneficial, both in church and political affairs. During the year they lived in Winnipeg, their house was open to anyone who needed help, and during the winter there were group Bible readings some Sundays, because then there were no priests there and no church. In North Dakota, Jón held a seat in the legislature twice, in 1899 and 1901. Rósa can be counted among the ranks of the headstrong women in previous times in Iceland. She took care of the household during the farming years, when Jón was absent, and was very involved in raising their children, which brought the respect they have achieved. For most of the time since Jon’s death, she has lived west on the Pacific coast, first in Portland, Oregon and now for many years in Corvallis, and is now in her early 90s.
Their children are as follows: Ingibjörg, born in Iceland, married to Richard Hvengel*, who is mentioned before; Jón, born in Milwaukee in 1875, for a long time a steward at the Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company in Regina, Sask. where he had 300 elevators for sale, but now for a short time at Bawlf Grain Co. in Winnipeg; Franklin, born in 1879 in the windowless shack mentioned earlier, was a long-time school teacher and superintendent both in North Dakota and out west, now engaged in real estate business in Corvallis, Ore. Both Jón and Franklin are married to Finnish women. Ólöf born in North Dakota in 1884 married Roy Miller, a former schoolteacher, now in business in Portland, Oregon. Three of Jón and Rósa’s children are dead, two at a young age in North Dakota, and Kristín, the youngest child, reached adulthood, married a local man in Portland, Ore., died and left him and their four children about three years ago.”
*In the original text, Richard’s father’s name is either Swenge or Hvengel. The correct one is Swengel.
English version by Thor group.