"O. G. Anderson"
Vfm 018
Men's Dept. (left)
Clothing, Dry Goods and Groceries (right)
| Vesturfarinn - |
Vesturfarinn has a small but ever-growing collection of photographs of emigrants from Vopnafjörður and East Iceland. Many of these photos were sent to friends and relatives in Iceland. The Héraðsskjalasafn Austfirðinga ("East Iceland Regional Archives") in Egilsstaðir has kindly given us digital copies from their collection, and descendents and relatives on both sides of the ocean have also donated copies. We also have some photographs of unknown people - someone, somewhere knows who they are, and we are confident that we will learn their names.
We also are interested in the stories of the emigrants - where they settled, about their new lives in new lands, about their children and grandchildren. In order to increase our knowledge of both these people and the times they in which they lived, we invite you to click on the link below each photo. The link will take you to another page which has information about the person(s) in that photo.
These photographs will be changed/updated from time to time, so be sure to add our site to your Favorites - and visit us often!
We will be glad to include photographs of your emigrant ancestors. Please let us know if you have a donation for our collection by sending an e-mail to: Vesturfarinn
Ólafur Guðjón Arngrímsson left Iceland in 1879 from Búastöðum in Vopnafjörður with five siblings. They went to the Minnesota settlement, like so many others from Vopnafjörður and other places in East Iceland. "O. G. Anderson" went into business and built what was then one of the largest and most profitable businesses. The Big Store was in operation until 1975.
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| "The Big Store" and Employees c. 1915 | Ólafur Guðjón Arngrímsson "O. G. Anderson" Vfm 018 |
"The Big Store" Men's Dept. (left) Clothing, Dry Goods and Groceries (right) |
During the difficult times in the 19th century many families left Iceland with hopes for a better life in the Americas. Another group of siblings that left Vopnafjörður were the children of Hallgrímur Sigurðsson and Guðrún Jónsdóttir - except for one son who remained in Iceland. (Hallgrímur died in Iceland; Guðrún is not in the Vesturfaraskrá, but the photo we have of her was taken in Winnipeg so we know she left Iceland.)
Arnþrúður Hallgrímsdóttir & |
Elísabet Hallgrímsdóttir |
 Guðrún Jónsdóttir Their mother |
 Jón Hallgrímsson & |
 Jóhanna & Sigurborg |
Vfm 050 |
Vfm 037 |
Vfm 049 |
Vfm 040 |
Vfm 060 |
| Vfm 001 | Aðalborg Hjálmarsdóttir Jökull |
| Vfm 002 | Kristján Sigurbjörnsson, Salvör Níelsdóttir and daughters Elín and Halldóra Vilborg |
| Vfm 003 | Sigfús and Helgi Jónas Árnasynir "Josephson" |
| Vfm 005 | Sigurbjörn Kristjánsson aka Ben Christianson |
| Vfm 006 | Ólöf Sigbjörnsdóttir |
| Vfm 007 | Sigbjörn Sigurðsson |
| Vfm 008 | Unknown - Photo taken by S. Magnús in Minneota, Minnesota |
| Vfm 010 | Arnþrúður Vigfúsdóttir Vopni and daughters |
| Vfm 011 | Björn Gíslason and Aðalbjörg Jónsdóttir |
| Vfm 014 | Gústi, Jóna, Kristbjörg and Halli "Vopni" |
| Vfm 015 | Jón Þorvarðsson and Rósa Snorradóttir |
| Vfm 019 | Sigríður Björnsdóttir - "Sarah Kline" - and her son Björn Freeman Schram |
| Vfm 036 | Friðrika Jakobína Sæmundsdóttir and Helgi Daníelsson |
| Vfm 059 | Guðlaug Bjarnadóttir |
| Vfm 108 | Jóhannes and Thora from Hrappstöðum |
| Vfm 129 | Eyjólfur Kristjánsson and Lukka Gísladóttir |
| Vfm 159 | Sesselja Sigurðardóttir |
| home | ||
| Iceland in the 19th Century | Jökuldalsheiði and the Settlement There | Vesturfarar |
| Minnesota Settlement | Settlement List | Letter from Dagverðagerði |
