HERRING ERA: When the Norwegians began their second settlement in Eyjafjörður in 1867 the people of Akureyri suddenly awoke to the fact that piles of money could be made out of the summer herring. This picture does not show Petter Honningsvågs boat "Kvitnes", but shows another local icelandic boat and tells how rich the sea around Iceland was. (Photo from Herring Era Museum in Siglufjördur outside Akureyri.)

They planned to emigrate to Canada, but the boat never came

In the year 1875 there is a volcano erupt in mounten Dyngjufjöll and there is a lot of ash that goes over north Iceland and ruins lots of farmland and grasingland in the mountains for the sheeps in summertime.

1877 there is no fish 2 years in a row a round Iceland and the volcano Hekla erupts second time in that era so life is very hard. 1878 vinter starts in september and it snows like in a middle of vinter and lots of sheeps die in snow piles.

Before all this population in Iceland had incrised so because of good years that there was a short of farms for every who wanted to be independet farmer and people had been moving to a America in small numbers but when all these disaster started, people moved to Canada in big numbers.
They were promised 200 acres of farmland for couples and a single man woud get 100 acres of farmland for free.

Þorvaldur Guðnason, born in Lundabrekkusókn, S-Þing 12.11.1857 in Látin 18.7.1914, and Sigurlaug Sigfúsdóttir, born í Hellulandi Skagafirði 11.1.1876, vent to Akureyri to get on a ship to the new world. But the ship never came.

They were stuck in Akureyri and a boy meets a girl and a girl meets a boy. And they had 1 daughter, María Þorvaldsdóttir, born in Akureyri 30. september 1902.

She was registrated as a housewife <Icelandic: Húsfreyja> in Akureyri in the year 1930, then as María Honningsvog ín the church book <Kirkjubók>.

A young sailor named Petter Nikulasen Honningsvog born 1900 in Honningsvaag, Norway, came to Akureyri, and a boy meets a girl and a girl meets a boy and they had 4 daughters.
Agnes Jóhanna Pétursdóttir 1923 - 1984, María Pétursdóttir Honningsvog 1925, Nancy Thorhild Pétursdóttir Honningsvog 1927, Anne Gudlaug Petursdottir 1929 (died 1930), Svala Pétursdóttir Falstad 1933 - 2001.

In 1935 Petter died from lung infection Pneumonia and his brothers came to Akureyri and María vent to Norway with them with all the girls exept Agnes. She was the oldest daughter and had to finish scool before she could go to Norway.

But the second world war changed that. By the time the second world war ended she was maried in Reykjavík and her daughter Þórhildur was borne 7. desember 1944.
And because of all this I am still an Icelander.


Written in 2014 by 
Sigríður Jónsdóttir
Ljósheimum 12 
104 Reykjavík

María Þorvaldsdóttir, born in Akureyri 30. september 1902. Died in Leikanger, Stadlandet in Norway 1945.

Petter Nikolaisson Honningsvaag, born in Honningsvaag 29. mars 1900. Died in Akureyri in Iceland in 1935.

The storyteller Sigríður Jónsdóttir is a granddaughter of Maria Þorvaldsdóttir and Petter Honningsvaag.
They have 14 grandchildren, as follows:

After daughter Agnes and  Jon Gudjónsson in Iceland:
Þórhildur Jónsdóttir; Guðjon Jonsson; Sigrid Jónsdóttir og Anna Marie Jónsdóttir:  
After daughter Maria and Harald Refsnes in Norway:
Marit Tennebø, Turid Hamre and Ingunn Refsnes.
After daughter Nancy and Per Hansen in Norway:
Piten (Petra Marie) Hilt, Torhild Hansen, Per Kåre Hansen, and Christian Hansen.
After daughter Svala and Herlof Hansen (Wangen):
Svein Helge Falstad.
After daughter Svala and Tore Falstad:
Birger Falstad.
After daughter Petra and Dagfinn Honningsvåg:
Geir Arne Honningsvaag. (Petra is daughter of Maria Þorvaldsdóttir and Petters brother Gudmund Honningsvåg). 

PETTERS FAMILY: Picture shows Nikolai Honningsvåg (brother of Anna H. Erikcson, Gina H. Fluevåg and Johan Honningsvåg) and Andriana Tungevåg, with their children (from left) Tomina, Nelly, Alf and Petter. In front Malmfrid and Joakim. The youngest sibling, Joakim, was born in 1915, and this photo is probably taken a year later.

SILVER OF THE SEA: This sign is hanging in the Herring Museum i Siglufjördur. It tells that the future depends on the herring, and that herring culture came to Iceland by the norwegians.

LARGE INDUSTRY: This and the header picture are hanging in the Herring Era Museum i Siglufjördur. It shows a great number of fishing boats and the fish industry in Siglufjördur.

According to Akureyrarstofa - Akureyri Cultural and Marketing Office - it was not until the Norwegians began their second settlement in Eyjafjörður in 1867 that the people of Akureyri suddenly awoke to the fact that piles of money could be made out of the summer herring. The herrings shoals had swum close to the shore, alongside the main street of the town, as far back as could be traced in the memories of the oldest citizens of Akureyri.

Petters brothers probably sailed "Kvitnes" back to Norway after his death

I am sorry I do not know  dayly life of Maria and Petter. But he was a sailor and because his brothers came here to setle his estate when he died in 1935, I belive that they sailed his boat back to Norway.
You can probably find old information in ships regestration office from that year he died or the year after.
The informations about the eruptions and other desasters that happened here in the years 1875 to 1889 I found in a book "Öldinn sem leið". I own the collection from 1501 to 1980.

And it was a very interestin reading because what is happining here now.
Last two septembers, in 2012 and in 2013, it has snowed like it was middle of winther. In 2012 lots of sheeps were trapt under a snowpile and died.
Also  many were saved, and they did find a sheep that was still alive after 40 days.
And now we have eruptions north of Dyngjufjöll wery close to Askja. So history repeat it self.
venlige hilse

Sigríður Jónsdóttir