"Once a Scout, always a Scout". A well known phrase. As a young boy I was a Scout. It was fun and it was educating. I believe. We went camping and had fun, learned the names of flowers and birds in the spring and the heavenly stars in the wintertime. I learned to tie some funny knots which turned out to be very useful to me when as a 16 year old I spent one short summer as a seaman. Yes, catching herring in the waters north of Iceland. A lot of ropes had to be tied and spliced during that time. But I have forgot most of what we were expected to do as Scouts long time ago. Well, I still help old ladied to cross the street - if necessary. But you don't have to be a Scout to do that.
Once a stamp collector, always a stamp collector? No. Not always. A lot of people collect stamps in their young days and when they grow up they lay off such a "childish" thing. Anyway, some are bitten by the bug as a youngster and start again in later days and even becomes philatelists. As I did. Became a serious philatelist, earning the first gold medal for Iceland at an international stamp exhibition and - just to brag a bit more - so far the only Icelander accepted as a juror at international stamp exhibitions and have been around as such. But In 2002 I quit. And instead I became even more involved in Genealogy than ever. Hopefully some of you may have gained from it. I did for sure.
I quit philately - or I thought so. Last year I accepted to be on the managing teem for an Internordic stamp exhibition - Nordia 2009 - held in the end of May next in Hafnarfjörður town, just south of Reykjavík. Philatelists from all the Nordic countries will participate with their exhibits and collectors in USA (The Scandinavian Collectors Club) will send their exhibits in hope for a good valuation. All this job has taken a good part of my time so I may have neglected many a good friend when it comes to genealogy. Sorry for that.

I always make eyes for old letters. Especially Icelandic letters like this one, beautiful item, sent in October 1889 from Vopnafjörður to Winnipeg, Manitoba. It would be interesting to know about the addressee Miss Sigríður Sigurðardóttir at 188 Jemima Street in Winnipeg.
In Vesturfaraskrá there are listed 13 women with this name, Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, that emigrated in 1889 or earlier but only four from the Vopnafjörður region.

To my mind the most likely to be the addressee is Sigríður Sigurðardóttir who left from Hvammsgerði in 1888. In Vesturfaraskrá the destination is given Minneapolis. Anyway she lived her life in Winnipeg, married to Guðjón Jónsson (Johnson). This Sigríður was born 23 Aug 1862 and died in Winnipeg 31 Dec 1944. She had nine siblings and some of them emigrated to Canada. Her sister Jakobina died in Argyle, Man. 12 Oct 1890. She was married to Guðni Jónsson (1840-1889) and had three children: 1) Guðný b. 1885, married to Magnús Jónsson Nordal, 2) Jónína, married to Haraldur Davíðsson (somewhere in Manitoba) and 3) Jónas Guðnason Johnson who died in Detroit 1956. One sister to Sigríður Sigurðardóttir was Þóra, b. 1856, d. 1897. She was married to Hernit Kristófersson (1850-1928). Their son was Pétur Hallgrímur Hernitsson, b. 1881, d. 1963.

As you may understand, I'm only speculating and hopefully someone can inform me about Sigríður at Jemima Street in Winnipeg in the year 1889.

In my last letter I mentioned how to grab the chance to visit Iceland this summer and get the most out of it. Jónas Þór (or Jonas Thor if you prefer) runs the company Thortravels arranging travels from Iceland to North America as well as from North America to Iceland. In June next a group of more than 80 persons will visit their ancestors home-pastures in Iceland. Hopefully they will fully enjoy the trip.
For future trips to Iceland - contact Jónas Þór.