Ólafur Þorleifsson and Guðbjörg Guðnadóttir in Langruth.
Ólafur Þorleifsson and Sesselja Guðbjörg Guðmundsdóttir with their children, Hólmfríður and Guðni. Photo taken in Iceland shortly before leaving for the West in 1887. Private collection.
Ólafur Þorleifsson was born on January 5, 1850 in Þingvallasveit in Árnessýsla. He died in Manitoba on July 1, 1934. He took the last name Thorleifson in Canada.
Spouse: Guðbjörg Guðnadóttir b. January 13, 1851 in Árnessýsla, d. May 12, 1940. She took the last name Thorleifson in the west.
Children: 1. Hólmfríður b. October 2, 1880 2. Guðni b. September 21, 1883 3. María Sesselja b. February 15, 1887 4. Anna b. July 31, 1887 in Winnipeg.
They came west by sea in 1887 with Hólmfríður and Guðni. María was placed in foster care with Halldór Daníelsson, who moved his family west in 1900. María came with them. Ólafur and Guðbjörg lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the first few years, where Ólafur worked as a carpenter. The family moved to the Big Point area in 1894 and Ólafur took land where he lived a good life for years. He ran a store in Big Point for a while, took on blacksmithing and machine repair. He prospered. Ólafur and Guðbjörg settled in Langruth in 1918.