Pétur Árnason grew up in his parents’ home at Ketilstaðir in Hjaltastaðaþinghá until 1845. Then he lost them both in a short period of time. His mother drowned late in the fall in Selfljót, two weeks after his father died. In a letter to Þorleif Jóakimsson, dated at Íslendingafljót on July 4, 1914, Pétur says:
“It was late in the autumn that the five of us, my mother, my sister Vilborg aged 18 and me aged 8, my sister Snjófríður aged 6 and my uncle Pétur, were on our way home to Ketilstaðir from Hjaltastadur, from the wedding party of the parish priest, the Reverend Stefáns Jónsson. My mother was riding, but the rest of us were walking. When we arrived at Grófnavadi, the river was freshly covered with weak ice. Pétur led my mother’s horse across the river, then went back to fetch us children, and planned to carry us each over the ice. First, he took me and that trip went without incident. Then he went back across and fetched Snjófríður, but when they were more than halfway there, the ice broke. Then my mother came to me on the bank. Peter then called to her and told her to try to save the child; she then ran out onto the ice, which broke when she was about to grab the child, and the three of them drowned in the same wake. Those who first came to the river after the accident were: Þorsteinn Gunnarsson at Hreimsstaðir, east of the river, and Jón Jónsson at Ketilstaðir, to the west. Pétur’s body was recovered immediately, but that of the mother shortly afterwards.”
In his publication “Broti af landnámssögu Nýja Íslands’‘ which was published in Winnipeg in 1919, Þorleifur says: “After this, Pétur was first in Hjaltastaðir with his mother’s family until he was confirmed, then in Vopnafjörður and Seyðisfjörður and Eskifjörður until he went to America 1876” (Page 38)
English version by Thor group.
Selfljót Photo: Veiðifélag Selfljóts