The Icelandic Roots volunteers have been very busy developing content and events for the Icelandic Roots membership. The volunteers are rightly proud of the many activities they create to build the Icelandic Roots community.
We asked the volunteer leaders of these programs to share some key events they created in 2024 that were highlights for them.
Icelandic Roots Samtal Hour-Judy Dickson, host and producer
Icelandic Roots Samtal Hour has just reached its fourth anniversary. We meet via Zoom on alternate Mondays throughout the year. Over the years we have enjoyed speakers who have shared diverse topics, all of which are related to Iceland, Western Icelanders or our Icelandic heritage. The conversation that arises from every speaker or an open member's session never ceases to amaze.
Here are five Samtal Hours that come to mind in 2024. Early in the year, we heard from William Valgardson of Victoria, British Columbia. He is an author and former professor. He talked about his experience growing up in the Icelandic settlement of Gimli, Manitoba where he heard families speak Icelandic, celebrated Icelandic holidays, enjoyed Icelandic food and felt that his ethnic identity played a large role in his writings.
In April, Dr. Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon, an Icelandic historian, professor and author, had completed a webinar for Icelandic Roots. He then joined us on Samtal Hour. He further expanded on the research he had done for his book "Wasteland with Words" about Iceland’s history and the social life of Icelanders.
Another special guest we had this year was Dr. “Steve” Stephens, an American author, retired psychologist and family therapist. He spoke to us about the project he undertook over many years, to translate his Icelandic great-grandmother’s poetry into English. He released the English translation titled "The Poems of Undina."
In July near the 125th anniversary of the Deuce, we enjoyed hearing from a resident of Mountain, North Dakota, Loretta Thorfinnson Bernhoft who had worked diligently with her team of four Western Icelanders to complete their storyboard project dedicated to preserve the rich history of the Vikur Lutheran Church Cemetery.
And to share a different topic in October, Gail Thorsteinson Hnatiuk, retired teacher of Coquitlam, British Columbia related her experiences attending four very large and well organized Thorsteinson family reunions.
On Samtal Hour we strive to host a variety of guest speakers and encourage engagement and dialogue from the Icelandic Roots participants!
Icelandic Roots Book Club-Heather Lytwyn, host and coordinator
Icelandic Roots Book Club Host, Heather Lytwyn, saw a broad Icelandic canvas in 2024's selections:
"Looking back at the Icelandic Roots Book Club in 2024, I am struck by our diversity. We began with Glenn Sigurdson’s family fishing off the shores of Hecla Island in 1882, which evolved into a major fishing industry.
Then we were intrigued about a woman born in Iceland in 1777 who became a sea captain, researched and brought to life by Margaret Willson. Elin de Ruyter took us to 1881 where we follow the life of a midwife in the Westfjὃrds.
Martha Brooks gave us an inside view of a Tuberculosis sanatorium. Jón Kalman Stefánsson, and translator Phillip Roughton took us to an unpredictable village of four hundred inhabitants.
We were caught up in Veronica Li’s memoir of her mother’s earliest days in China until her last days in America. Brian Borgford inspired us all to write with his children’s story, and his grandfather’s legacy in the construction business in western Canada.
We concluded the year with three guests: Bryndís Víglundsdóttir, Gay Strandemo, and Tracy Will whose collaboration brought to life three Icelandic sagas. Who knows what writing and reading will be inspired in 2025 by our 2024 guests?"
Icelandic Roots Webinars-Jason Doctor, host and producer
Jason Doctor produced the Icelandic Roots webinars in 2024 and he shared his three favorite webinars for the year. Click on the titles to go directly to the webinars on the Icelandic Roots YouTube Channel.
1. Steven Stephens presenting "The Poems of Undina," Feb 2024. This was such a great webinar with Steven sharing personal stories about his great grandmother the great poet Undina (Helga Baldvinsdóttir (IR I327781) and surrounding figures Stephen G. Stephenson and others. I felt like Steve had obtained all this special knowledge from his grandfather and was able to share it with the Western Icelandic community today. I am so glad he got a chance to talk with us and teach us about the past.
2. Sigurdur Gylfi Magnusson explored the themes in his landmark work, "Wasteland with Words" March 2024. We owe a great debt to Sigurdur for helping us understand the extreme poverty and level of suffering our ancestors faced in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. His book explains why our ancestors left Iceland and how they used poetry to cope with loss.
3. My third choice is a tie between Cathy Josephson's "They Left for Minnesota" on Nov 13, 2024 and Natalie Guttormsson's "Elves and a Bonfire 1875 a New Year's Celebration" Nov 29 2024.
Each of these webinars explores the 150th Anniversary of Icelanders deciding to bring their families to the US and Canada and stay for good. Cathy's webinar gives a detailed account of the people who left for Minneota, MN, and Natalie's webinar explores lost folklore traditions of early settlers. These webinars compel us to reflect on where we've been and how things have changed.
Icelandic Roots Podcasts-Jack Plumley, host and producer
"2024 brought some incredible conversations to the podcast, but these 3 stood out to me personally for their depth, and the experiences behind them.
1. Cancer Risks: Icelandic Gene Mutation Awareness | Community Advocacy & Heritage Stewardship
Guest: Curtis Olafson | Release Date: February 8th
This episode left a lasting impression on me. Curtis, Owen, and I discussed the health risks of Icelandic gene mutations, a topic I wasn’t deeply familiar with before. It felt like one of those discussions that could genuinely make a difference.
2. Sheep, Sagas & a Sustainable Future – From the Westfjords to the Laxdæla Sagas History
Guest: Simbi Sigmundsson | Recorded On-Location
After hiking fields near Búðardalur, Simbi and I sat in his truck, surrounded by the landscape we’d been talking about and hit record. We explored topics that felt timeless—sagas, sustainable farming, and the rhythms of Icelandic life. That setting and Simbi’s grounded perspective made this conversation feel like an authentic snapshot of modern-day Iceland.
Guest: Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane | Release Date: March 29th
I first met Doreen on the Icelandic Roots Volunteer Trip, where her enthusiasm was infectious. I enjoyed talking with her in person and was happy to record a conversation for you all to join in on. I loved how her humour and passion brought her family’s history to life. It reminded me why I love connecting with people through this platform."
Jack concludes, "I'm looking ahead, and eager to uncover more fascinating Icelandic stories in 2025. Here’s to another year of discovery and connection!"
Roots Tips-Rob Olason, host and coordinator
Roots Tips is a monthly opportunity for our genealogy database members to explore topics ranging from how to conduct research on the Icelandic Roots database to exploring how to research other Icelandic content websites. With over 830,000 individuals in the IR database, there is a lot to explore. Rob invites Icelandic Roots Genealogists to share their knowledge in these one-hour sessions.
Here are four of Rob's favorite sessions:
Dave Jonasson visited Roots Tips twice to roll out the new video training modules that offer the most up-to-date instruction on using the database. Dave broke down the training he'd been offering once or twice per year into twenty-two short video modules that are available year-round at the viewer's convenience. This offers new users the opportunity to jump into training as soon as they sign up. And with the monthly live Roots Tips sessions, help is always just around the corner.
IR Lead Genealogist, Sunna Furstenau, visited the program three times, offering an introduction to the database for new users in one session. She also offered a session on the "Cousins Across the Ocean" project and how to find relatives in Iceland. She concluded the 2024 Roots Tips in December by highlighting many of the topics we explored this year.
Susan Huff and Helga Margrét Reinhardsdóttir delivered a master class on how to research Icelandic Parish Records and other Icelandic-based databases. There was so much detail to absorb, that Rob hopes to bring them both back in 2025 to do a follow-up presentation of this very important information!
Rob said choosing a fourth option was so difficult because each session offered important material that can aid database users. Rus Magnusson showed us how to submit photos and other documents. Cathy Josephson gave us a power-user presentation on how to use the online database Tímarit, Doug Hanson toured us through the mapping features in the database. These are all vital topics that enhance the research experience in the Icelandic Roots database. Rob plans to expand on this list in 2025 to continue opening up opportunities for database users.