Hallgrímur Björnsson was born in N. Múlasýsla on August 18, 1871. He died in Riverton on April 7, 1956.
Spouse: July 14, 1894 Margrét Jónsdóttir b. in E. Skaftafellssýsla on November 30, 1866, d. in Gimli on August 7, 1949.
Children: 1. Aðalbjörg b. 1894 2. Björn b. November 27, 1895 3. Guðjón b. December 16, 1896 4. Guðný Steinunn b. April 10, 1901 5. Sölvi b. 1903 (?) 6. Garðar b. September 15, 1904 7. Þórir Aðalmundur b. 1906 (?) 8. Aðalbjörg Sigríður Lovísa b. August 5, 1910. Two children, Solveig and Jón died in Iceland.
They emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1903. Hallgrímur got a job as a carpenter and, after a short time, he ran his own business. It is well documented in the Heimskringla, 18 October 1906:
“Mr. Hallgrímur Björnsson, a carpenter in Winnipeg, who three years ago moved to the West from Fljótsdalshérað, moved from here onto the farm at the beginning of this month, which he has bought from Reaburn here in the county. After three years of work here in town he was able to pay the greater part, which was 8 thousand dollars, or close to 30 thousand kr. Well done during the three years of life here in the west. This one example shows what diligent and practical people can do in this country, even though they could not make a case at their entry into Canada. ”
Major construction in Arborg around 1910 caused Hallgrímur to move there where he bought Arnheiðastaðir in the Geysir Settlement from Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason. About the same time, he applied for land in Riverton and moved there in 1915, because now there was a boom in that town.