Samtal Gold
- Brian Borgford
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
by Brian Borgford
"Samtal" means conversation or chat. Samtal Hour is a twice-a-month gathering of Icelandic Roots members to discuss various topics of interest. We meet over Zoom and all members are welcome. There's much to discover as Brian found out...
Anyone who has sat in on Judy Dickson’s Samtal Hour will understand the treasure that emerges in each session. Judy always selects a stimulating topic that provides members with in-depth information, and the opportunity to provide their take on the subject and to hear how others may see the same topic. The breadth and richness of the discussions always leave me with thoughts and ideas as I continue to embark on my family research and writing.
In addition to the value of the structured portion of the meetings, unexpected gems pop out of nowhere, and you must grab them as they arise. Judy always encourages new people to attend, and when they do, she asks them to introduce themselves to the group and comment on their connections to Iceland and Icelandic Roots. I have yet to have one of these introductions disappoint me.
On February 10, 2025, one such introduction took my breath away. Jim Hanson made his first appearance at Samtal Hour, and Judy asked him to tell the group something about himself. Jim obliged by giving a summary of himself and his connections when I heard him refer to one of his great-grandfathers as “Hans with no feet.” My mind raced to the research I had done when writing the biography of my grandfather, Thorsteinn Borgford, known throughout his adult life as Thomas (I464972). I knew this man, “Hans,” from my grandfather’s memoir. The incident occurred in 1888 while Thomas, then fourteen years old, was working with a fishing crew on Lake Winnipeg. Here is an excerpt from my grandfather’s biography— I reworded an entry from his 1947 memoir:
Thomas organized the tug-of-war competitions ensuring that the two giants of the crew, Thorburger Fjallstead and Hans would each anchor one of the teams. Hans had lost his feet in the old country due to frostbite and maneuvered with hand-made wooden feet. His first set of wooden feet was made in New York, but his current pair were fashioned by an Icelandic blacksmith who operated from a shop on Osborne Street near the soldier’s barracks in Winnipeg. The blacksmith, who had crafted the artificial feet, was known as “Chris from Goat Island”, referring to his home in the old country. The soldiers from the barracks and others knew Chris as a great story-teller and people loved to assemble at his shop to listen to his fairy tales (likely based on the Icelandic Sagas). Chris made Hans a wonderful pair of wooden feet. For the tug-of-war, the two anchormen dug themselves deep into the sand - up to their waist - and tied the rope around their bodies. The winner was determined when one of the anchormen was partly dislodged from his sandy pit. Hans often bled from the stumps of his legs after the competitions and would quietly go to the water to wash the blood away and not let on that he was in any pain. Hans was a great storyteller and would entertain his mates with evening ghost stories (again probably based on the Sagas). Hans even invented a ghost that travelled all over Swampy Island where they were working.
Jim and I connected during Samtal Hour and later exchanged emails where I provided him with copies of my books referencing “Hans with no feet,” filling in gaps in his quest, while I was able to enrich my research by adding Hans Hansson (I334496) to the list of people who crossed paths with my grandfather.
Samtal Gold—grab yours when you can.