Merchant, municipal official.
Born at Akureyri, Northern Iceland on 16 February 1863, son of Hans Petur Taergesen and Ingibjorg Judit Gudjonsdottir. He came to Canada in 1886 and worked at the tinsmithing trade in Winnipeg with Campbell Brothers, later in business for himself. He came to Gimli in 1898 and started a general store that became, by the 1920s, one of the best appointed general stores in the province, carrying hardware, groceries, and general merchandise.
He and wife Sigridur Palsdottir (1871-1950) had eight children: Judid I. Tergesen (1887-?), Anna Margret Tergesen (1888-?, wife of Einar Sigurjon Jonasson), Pjetur H. Tergesen (1889-?), Svenn Johann Tergesen (1894-?), Ingibjorg Tergesen (1898-?), Hans Robert Tergesen (1903-?), Alma Palina Gudrun Tergesen (1906-?), and Alma Tergesen (1907-?). He served as a councillor on the Gimli town council before incorporation, later serving as Mayor of Gimli (1911-1913, 1919-1923).
He died at Gimli on 18 November 1954 and was buried in the Gimli Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Tergesen House (38 Fourth Avenue, Gimli)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: H. P. Tergesen General Store (82 First Avenue, Gimli)
Birth registrations [Alma Palina Gudrun Tergesen, Alma Tergesen], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.
Death registrations [Segridur Tergesen, Hans Pjetur Tergesen], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“General merchant, former Gimli mayor, H. P. Tergesen dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 November 1954, page 42.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 May 2025
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 SearchBrowse 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 | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 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 | 2025
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
