Johannsson Family Emigrates to Canada

Every few years there seems to be an update on the emigration of the Johannssons from Iceland to Canada. As

more ship records are added to the genealogy database and the Icelandic government pushes to find out where

their descendants are, more is learned. Articles have been written in the Canadian Icelandic Newspaper Lögberg-

Heimskringla (http://www.lh-inc.ca/ ) and individuals have passed on family history to the younger generations.

This is my addition to the Johannsson history based on our trip to Iceland in August of 2015.

For the genealogists tracing the family tree, here are a few notes to get started. It was Johann Johannsson that

emigrated to Canada in 1887. He was born Jul 09, 1858 at Husabakki, Seiluhreppi, Skagafjardarsyslu, Iceland and

died in Canada Feb 21, 1929. Don’t try to find a town called Husabakki since it is the name of the farm. Johann

spelt his surname with 2 N’s and 2 S’s. His son Arni spelt it with 1 S. His son Johan (with 1N) spelt his surname with 1

N and 1 S. None of them seem to have used the accent over the O after they came to Canada. Sigridur, his wife,

was born July 16, 1854 at Hofs Stathum I Vinhalishreppi I Hunavatnasyslu. (Edit: Ship records say she was 6 years

older than Johann when they left for Canada so her birth year would be closer to 1852.)

Here are the name spellings on the gravestones at Big Point Cemetery, Langruth, Manitoba.

Johann was born in the Glaumbaer area on the Husabakka farm. In his 20's, he moved to the Oxnhóll farm west of

Akureyri near the intersection of highways 814 and 815. It is not known if he purchased the farm or just worked

there. In 1887, he and family left Iceland on a ship called Bewick from the Reykjavik port. Ship records show Jóhann

Arnor at age 2 and Sarah is not listed. Other records show that Sarah was born in 1888, so she was born in

Churchbridge, Sask. and was not a passenger on the ship.

This photo shows the turn off to the farm where Johann was born. The farm in the picture is not his farm. You have

to drive about 5km out into the flat valley on a road that winds around the wet spots to get to the farm. The sign

shows a Sydri and a Ytri Husabakki. This refers to the near or first farm and the far farm.

Just a few hundred meters south of the driveway is the church of Glaumbaer and the sod houses.

Sod houses – the way people used to live. Notice that the sod is laid at an angle.

Map of Oxnholl Farm that Johann left to come to Canada. It is west of Akureyri.

Oxnholl farm

It is often thought that the Icelanders sailed from Iceland directly to Canada and the USA. Actually, most sailed to

Scotland or other ports in Europe and there they got on a larger ship for the trans-Atlantic voyage to Canada. The

departing ship normally took settlers to Edinburgh Scotland where they took a train to Glasgow and boarded a

different ship across the Atlantic to Quebec or New York. Johann (bóndi) left in 1887 from the port of Reykjavik on a

ship called Bewick at the age of 29. His brother Indridi was on board the same ship with his passage paid up to

Winnipeg. The ship probably went to Scotland where they got on a bigger Ocean liner. Also on the ship, were Katrin

(his wife - kona hans), son Johann (Joe) Arnor (their son-sonur Þeirra) and Indridi (brother-vinnumaður). For some

reason, Johann’s mother Helga Palsdottir (huskona-house wife) sailed on the Camoens in 1887 from Saudarkrokur.

She was 59 at the time and perhaps she didn’t want to make the long journey to Reykjavik or she wanted them to

go first.

Camoens ship -�

The population of Iceland increased dramatically during the nineteenth century, but without a concurrent

blossoming of the nation's economy. Despite increases in fishing yields and progress in agriculture, young people

desiring to begin farming had few choices. Some managed to eke out a living, building up a farm in the highlands,

but many others were forced to accept farm labour or other erratic forms of employment on land or at sea.

Population increase, however, was only one of several factors contributing to the westward migration from Iceland

during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Brutal climatic conditions during the 1860s and1880s,

disappointment with the tepid progress of the independence movement, the eruption of the volcano Askja in 1875,

and successful propaganda campaigns by so-called American Agents all played their role in luring Icelanders to the

West. The shortage of labour in the New World and the promise of cheap land for settlers increased the appeal of

emigrating to North America. Source: http://servefir.ruv.is/vesturfarar/e/addragandi.html

Canada Census Search 1901: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1901/Pages/1901.aspx

1901 Census record of Johann: http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/1901/z/z001/jpg/z000017120.jpg

Excerpt of a letter submitted to Logberg-Hemskringla by John Ivan Johnannson about his Grandparents

They made their first home in Canada in Churchbridge , Saskatchewan where grand dad got his first job - on the

railroad. I believe the reason he did not go to Gimli when they came to Canada was because his sister and her

husband, Gunnar Hallson had gone to Gimli with their four children in 1875. She and her four children all perished

in the smallpox epidemic in 1877. Gunnar moved to North Dakota after this disappointment where he was one of

the first settlers in what is now Hallson, North Dakota.

Johann and Sigridur stayed in Churchbridge for five years and moved to Manitoba in 1894. During this time three

more children were born, Helga, Arni ( my father ) and Annie (Gudmundina ).

The trip to Manitoba took over two weeks. They travelled by oxen and covered wagon and slept under the wagon

at night. They took a cow with them to have fresh milk for the baby Annie.

They were looking for land that would be suitable for cattle farming, close to the lake for fishing and near timber for

house building . They did not know at the time it would be seven years before they found what they wanted. They

stopped at Leifur from 94 to 96, (their sixth child, Runa was born there in 1894), at Siglunes from 96 to 97, at

Olafson's farm east of Amaranth from 97 to 99, at Valdimarson's farm at Big Point from 99 to 01 and finally

homesteaded in Hollywood in 1901. This farm became the base from which his grandson, Steini built a very large

farm which is very successfully operated today by his son Murray. The original homestead is still in the name of the

great grandson, Murray. It will become a heritage farm in 2001.

The Hollywood community had reached a sufficient population by 1904 to enable the building of their first school in

the area. Mr. Windsor, a teacher from England was hired with the strong requirement that the children learn to

speak English. My father, Arni attended this school for three years. This was the first time he heard anyone speak

anything but Icelandic. Mr. Windsor, made a rule that the children were not to speak Icelandic on the playground.

To enforce the rule he used to whip the offender with a willow stick. Arni attended this school for three years

during which time he learned arithmetic and to read and write and speak English remarkably well.

My grandmother, Sigridur, was trained as a midwife in Iceland. Since there were no doctors in the community, she

was frequently called on to attend at a birth. After 1897 she delivered 302 babies without losing one. The families

where these births took place were living all the way from Siglunes to Westbourne, a distance or 45 miles. Her only

method of transportation to these homes was by horse and buggy or sleigh, summer and winter. Under normal

circumstances she stayed with the family for two weeks. She did not expect to be paid for her services but most of

the people wanted to give her something. Since nobody had any money in those days they often gave her pieces of

crystal or glassware. She accumulated a large collection of these items.

After Hollywood and Big Point (the Big Point community celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 1994) were well

established, a small town started to emerge at the junction of the railroad and the Big Point road. This was the

beginning of the town of Langruth.

Two of Dads sisters (Helga and Annie) married two Erlendson brothers who had established businesses in Langruth.

Helga's son Arnold was the first boy to be born to settlers in Langruth.He started his career in the bank and after a

short time became the municipal clerk in Lundar, a position he filled for 40 years until his retirement.

Annie's daughter, Katie was the first settlerís daughter to be born in Langruth.

Aunt Runa married George Garrett who was principal of the Portage Collegiate for many years. During the war

years she convened the work for the Red Cross in Portage for the entire war. She went to the Red Cross

headquarters every day.

My father, Arni, homesteaded two quarters in Big Point in 1910. He married Gudlaug Ingimundson in 1911. My

sister, Sigga was born in 1912. Sigga's mother died 3 years later and she was brought up by their Afi and Umma

Ingimundson. She learned to speak old country Icelandic from them and she is still fluent in it today.

My mother came from Chester, Nova Scotia and became the first principal in the new high school in Langruth in

1920. Later that year she married my Dad. They lived on the family farm for 46 years and raised three daughters

and four sons.

Mother taught for over 30 years, mainly in the one room Big Point School, and during the same time raised seven

children. She was a good teacher because although she had nine grades to teach in the one room, a

disproportionately large number of her students there went on to graduate from University.

Both Mother and Father placed strong emphasis on education and always encouraged us to go on with our studies.

The result of this is seen in the fact that over twenty of their children and grand children have University degrees

and four are in University this year.

Sources:

Icelandic to English dictionary: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/IcelOnline/Search.TEId.html

The Icelandic Emigration Center in Hofsos is a great source of information. Valgeir Porvaldsson has access to an

extensive database related to emigrants and is very willing do a search for you. As of 2015, it is open 11:00 to 18:00

every day from June 1st to Sept 1st . http://www.hofsos.is

Video of Emigration (10 episodes,2 DVD's) ~ $50: http://nammi.is/vesturfarar-westward-bound-dvd-p-3548.html

- by Walter Arksey, Sept, 2015.