Phyllis Smith

​​Phyllis Smith has been a member of Icelandic Roots for several years now and has been working on her family history since 2012.

Phyllis is Icelandic on her mother’s side, her grandfather having immigrated to Canada in 1910. He was noted as a “pioneer” in Keewatin, Ontario. Her grandmother was a bilingual Icelandic-Canadian whose parents arrived in the Interlake region of Manitoba in 1888. Thanks to her mother’s efforts to track down cousins in Iceland, Phyllis was able to connect with family on a trip to Iceland and is planning her next visit.

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Phyllis has been a professional librarian and an independent information professional, specializing in research and database research in global affairs and intelligence. Family history research is turning out to be much more interesting! She now calls herself retired and is committed to exploring not only her Icelandic roots, but also her family’s history in the south of England. In addition, Phyllis writes stories from life and offers workshops in Guided Autobiography to get other people excited about their own life stories and maybe those of their ancestors.