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By Blair Swanson While compiling profiles for his Facebook page, “Geysir Cemetery,” Blair has gathered information about the women who served as midwives in the Geyser District of Manitoba. Their skill and compassion were vital in the early days of the region. All of the following information was taken from Faith and Fortitude: A History of the Geysir District 1880s–1980s. Midwives were common in every community. It was a necessity to have someone trained to deliver babies

By Nelson Gerrard Each month Icelandic Roots presents an Interesting Icelander, a person that has positively impacted the lives of of fellow Icelanders. Nelson Gerrard, an historian and genealogist, is one such individual. If you are involved with searching your ancestral family, you've most likely heard of Nelson's contributions or have possibly exchanged family details. An accomplished author, Nelson Gerrard has also received recognition for several honourable awards. In 20

On August 1, 2026 — 148 years after the first Icelandic families settled the northeast corner of Dakota Territory, we will have our official groundbreaking for the Icelandic Rootshús Interpretive Center in Mountain, North Dakota. This will be a permanent home we can walk into, rising across from the historic Víkur Church and Cemetery, where our shared story will be told, remembered, and carried forward. This land is the homestead of the Father of the Icelandic Settlement in D

By Brian Borgford The following is a series of excerpts from the memoir of Thorsteinn Borgford (I464972), written in 1947 when he was in his 70s. His grandson, Brian, transcribed his typewritten manuscript. Thorsteinn tried to present his story in the third person, but his writing occasionally shifted into the first person. In addition, spelling and other errors that did not impact the meaning of his story remain unchanged. Brian has selected excerpts relevant to our theme

By Gerry Stefanson Gerry Stefanson is a member of the Icelandic Roots Author’s Group, and we are pleased to share his musings through poetry, a craft he has honed in more recent years. Many of Gerry’s poems have been previously published in our Newsletters. He has also published poet “Chap Books” through Spillwords. You can see more of his work, including Passages and Bouleversant HERE. For June, we are profiling the New Iceland area on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba as part of our

By Heather Goodman Lytwyn Join Icelandic Roots Book Club on Thursday June 4 at 7 pm CDT by Zoom. We are featuring Sigfusson’s Roads by Svein Sigfusson, with co-hosts Heather Lytwyn and Alfreda Duffy. Their guest for the evening is the author’s nephew, Brian Sigfusson. More details are available on the IR Event Calendar. Sigfusson’s Roads is an inspiring story demonstrating the outstanding fortitude and skills of a group of men led by courage and determination. The more chall

By Becky Byerly-Adams, Brian Borgford, and Cathy Josephson This month's interesting Icelander is a tribute to William Jon Holm, more commonly referred to as Bill Holm. He is revered as many things, with poet, author, teacher and musician among them. This special collaborative article shares contributions from three Icelandic Roots volunteers and writers, Becky, Brian and Cathy. They tell us about Bill, but more so, they reveal more of the person he was. Join us in remembering

By Jody Arman-Jones This month Icelandic Roots explores the Icelandic settlements in Minnesota. The challenges faced were similar to many other settlements, but perseverance and hope prevailed. Their legacy lives on. The journey to Minnesota was not an easy one for Icelandic emigrants of the 19th century. As described in They Chose Minnesota, A Survey of the State’s Ethnic Groups, (6) and again by Cathy Josephson in her aptly named presentation, Rails, Trails, Rivers and Tr

Halldóra Guðmundsdóttir, an Icelandic immigrant who was a midwife and caregiver in Duluth Minnesota.

By Shaune Jonasson Keeping with the 2026 theme of settlements in North America, we close April with offering you a driving tour to the Icelandic sites in Nova Scotia. The communities settled were short-lived; however, some families did remain. Their descendants have lived there since the 1880s. With a keen interest in the history of the Icelandic communities, a group of dedicated individuals created The Icelandic Memorial Society of Nova Scotia, which was incorporated on July

By Phyllis Smith Continuing with the Icelandic Roots settlement areas we take you to a location in Ontario: Keewatin. A small community of proud and hardworking Icelanders called this place home. When the editorial team brainstormed all the possible Icelandic settlements across North America for this year’s newsletter articles, Keewatin, Ontario, didn’t make the top ten list. It’s not surprising. Keewatin (1) was and still is a small community in Northwestern Ontario. Now par

The goal for many Icelandic emigrants to Canada was to get to Gimli, Manitoba and join those who left before them. The plan was to establish Nýja Ísland , where the immigrants could be close to friends and family, and preserve their culture, traditions, and language. However, the first Icelanders to Canada settled in Ontario. In The Icelanders of Kinmount, Don Gislason referred to it as an “experiment in settlement” because it largely failed. Only a few families chose to s

By Shaune Jonasson This book review presents The Young Icelander – The story of an immigrant in Nova Scotia and Manitoba . A classic in Iceland that has been translated and published in English, offering insight to the challenges of emigration and settling in a foreign land. The emigrants are resilient. Their spirit, motivated by hope and determination, molds their greatest desire of creating a better life for their families. In 1899, Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason wrote the story

by Becky Byerly-Adams Wisconsin was the chosen settlement area for many Icelandic emigrant families in the 1870s. Becky provides background and insights from the areas of Milwaukee and Shawano. These settlements were not without challenges; many relocated while others remained. Their preservation of Icelandic life and culture remains their legacy. We still celebrate them today. Wisconsin Map 1866. Image sourced from Maps of the Past MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Milwaukee, Wisconsi

By George T. Freeman This month's Interesting Icelander article featuring Hjörtur (Chester) Þórðarson/ Thordarson was written by Hjörtur's great-great-nephew, George Freeman. Arriving in North America as a young lad of six, we learn about Hjörtur's life and legacy. Icelandic Roots is sharing this article with permission. THE VIKING HALL AT WISCONSIN’S ROCK ISLAND STATE PARK Hjörtur Thordarson (I481526) Icelanders and their descendants enjoy tales of the accomplishments of o

By Jason Doctor Public Webinar on Friday, 27 March 2026 : INDIGENOUS AND ICELANDIC INTERACTIONS AT THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS Our Icelandic Roots Host, Jason Doctor, welcomes guest Hildur Sigurbergsdóttir, historian and Snorri West alum. We will be discussing the complex story of the encounters between the Icelandic settlers and the existing Indigenous populations as part of an extended celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of New Iceland and Minneota.

By Gay Strandemo Settling in the Wisconsin area, our Scandinavian ancestors left their mark. A strong sense of literacy and the preservation of historical records has offered enhanced understanding of their cultures, traditions, languages and more curated by the Department of Scandinavian Studies, which has a history unto itself. Established in 1875, the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the oldest Scandinavian Studies department in

A part of the Icelandic Roots Settlement theme of 2026 is exploring the areas where our ancestors arrived and settled in North America. The Washington Island community received its first Icelandic settlers in 1870. Descendants of those settlers are still there today. Have a look around... Washington Island and neighbouring Rock Island to the northeast are where many Scandinavians settled and raised their families upon arrival to North America in the 19 th century. The Icel

For nearly a decade, a small team of dedicated genealogists within Icelandic Roots has meticulously researched an array of sources to paint a more accurate picture of the Icelandic Emigration Story between 1850 and 1914. This research has included documenting who left, when they left (and if they stayed), why they left, and how they made the journey. The Camoens, one of the many ships Icelanders took on their journey to North America. Accessed 2/26/2026 from Icelandic Roots

Icelandic Roots newsletter theme for 2026 is the emigration to North America and the settlements there. Some are still active settlements, while others have since been abandoned. Washington Island is a settlement from 1870 that remains strong today. In the mid-1800s, Icelanders began to emigrate to America. Many hardships in Iceland contributed to its people searching for a better life, for them and their family. Emigration proved to be the answer for some. Stories of settl