Helga, like Stephan, had been raised within the tenets of an orthodox Lutheran Church in Iceland. Unlike Stephan, however, Helga continued to engage with her faith throughout her life. While both she and Stephan attended church in Wisconsin and Dakota, by the time they were settled in Markerville Stephan had cut ties with the church and organized religion. Even so, “it appears that Helga was concerned for her children’s moral upbringing. Family members, sans [Stephan], partook in readings from the Bible and attended the Markerville church whenever Hjalmsson or another minister preached.” (Poet of the Rocky Mountains, p.108)
Perhaps she may even have attended an Easter service at the Markerville Lutheran Church.
Image courtesy Provincial Archives of Alberta, “Markerville, Alberta”, [between 1905 and 1907]. A4661.
Obtained from an Easter 2025 post on the Stephan G. Stephansson Facebook page.
