Stóri-Klofi

Tóftir frá 1879 og íbúðarhúsið í Stóra-Klofa

HÖSKULDUR AND ARNDÍS Höskuldur Jónsson and his wife, Arndís Magnúsdóttir, had lived for ten years at Klofi when the farm was moved in the summer of 1879, from where it had stood from historic times. It is now called Gamli-Klofi. The church in Klofi had been taken down the previous year and joined with the church Skarðskirkja. Their son Finnbogi says in an interview in 1941: „… damage due to sand drift was most severe during my father´s farming period at Klofi in the years 1877 and 1878 and this is why he moved the farm …“ Six of Höskuldur and Arndís´ children were born in Gamli-Klofi and six had already been born at Mörk. Half of the children died young. Those living in the spring of 1879 were Jón 16, Sigríður the older 15, Finnbogi eight, Sigríður the younger five, Guðrún two and Kjartan in his first year.

BIRTH IN A NEWLY BUILT FARM 1880 Höskuldur moved the Klofi farm a kilometre and a half further south, close to the farm Skarð, which had been moved there two years previously. Arndís gave birth to a baby girl in the newly built Klofi farm on 20th of January 1880. The girl was named Ragnhildur.

THE GREAT SUMMER OF SUNSHINE 1880 The next summer was very good, with sunshine throughout, all over the country. Þorvaldur Thoroddsen called it the great summer of sunshine.

THE HARD WINTER OF 1880-1881 The winter 1880-1881 has been called the hard winter. Arndís and Höskuldur were then in their 46th year, both born in 1835. They had one cow, 30 sheep and three horses. The oldest children, Jón and Sigríður the older, were sent to other farms to work.

THE BLACK SANDSTORM 1882 Höskuldur and Arndís stayed on at Klofi into spring 1882 with their five children. Finnbogi was in his twelfth year, Sigríður the younger was seven, Guðrún was in her sixth year, Kjartan in his fourth and Ragnhildur was two years old. It was an extraordinarily cold and stormy spring and the ground was free of snow with nothing to protect it. After the beginning of summer, there was further inclement weather with storms carrying rock and sand raging through the area. This has been called the black storm. It lasted without relent for three weeks. The livestock was killed, some immediately, some later that summer. Yet another baby was added to the group of siblings that hard spring, a baby girl born on the 26th of March. She was named Guðný. A few days after her birth, Guðrún died, five years old.

THE HOME DISSOLVED The ground was blowing away and the livestock was mostly dead. The cow was still standing. But there was no hay to be had anywhere so the cow was slaughtered and it was the family´s main source of food until the home dissolved at the end of May. Höskuldur and Arndís had to get their children to safety. They sought out Höskuldur´s cousin, Helga Árnadóttir in Flagbjarnarholt, a childless widow. Arndís went there on foot with Guðný, her newborn daughter. “… Then there came to Flagbjarnarholt … a poor and exhausted woman from one of the farms that had suffered the most in the tragedy of this memorable spring. She had walked a 10-15 kilometre route along the roadless heath in the merciless weather. She carried in her arms a small parcel woven into a black shawl. In this parcel was her daughter of a few weeks. The mother´s errand was to seek refuge for the little girl as her home was about to be deserted on account of the awful sand drift but the children were many and provisions meagre …“ (F.A.)

FLIGHT “… Then my parents lost everything … became destitute and had to flee the farm. …“ (F.H.) Finnbogi was sent to Árhraun in Skeiðar and Ragnhildur was sent to Flagbjarnarholt where Guðný was already. The husband and wife went to work in Biskupstungur, on different farms, and each with one child with them, Sigríður the younger and Kjartan.

Sigurjón Sveinsson frá Galtalæk

Klofatafla við Klofalæk