Memorable Manitobans: Johannes Maris Sveinsson (1875-1953)

Johannes Maris Sveinsson Click to enlarge

Building contractor.

Born at Reykjavik, Iceland on 19 December 1875, son of Sven Johansson and Augusta Constantina Andersdotter, he came to Canada in 1900 and worked as a building contractor at Winnipeg. He was married twice, first on 20 June 1907 to Asa Sigridur Nordal (1886-1926) with whom he had five children: Swen Harold Sveinsson (1909-2004), Valtyr Ralph Sveinsson (1911-1970), Johannes “Joe” Sveinsson (1912-2002), Kari Sveinsson (1915-1921), and Lillian Lilja Sveinsson (1919-2012). He later married Anna Kalsa Andreasdotter (1886-1962). He died at Los Angeles, California on 19 August 1953.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Sveinsson Block	637 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1906
Ivanhoe Block (with Lindal Josafat Hallgrimson)	757 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Sutherland Court	123 Sutherland Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Genoa Court	516 Maryland Street, Winnipeg	1911
Alhambra Apartments	33 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg	1912

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

1921 Canada census, Ancestry.

Johannes Maris Sveinsson (1875-1953), Ancestry.

“Early Icelandic builders in Winnipeg” by S. Aleck Thorarinson, Logberg Heimskringla, 30 March 1967, page 7.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 June 2022

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!