© 2020, Christian Cassidy
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Place: Private Residence
Address: 776 Victor Street
Architect: Unknown
Constructed: ca. 1905
The first resident of this house appears in the 1905 street directory making it one of the earliest homes on this block of Victor Street.
Alexander G Aikin was born in the Eastern Townships in Quebec and came to Winnipeg in its founding year of 1874. He was an organizer of the city's first volunteer fire department and went on to become a general contractor and builder. In the 1880s, he was vice president of the Winnipeg Master Carpenters Association.
Akin moved here with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children in 1905 and stayed until 1912.
Lögberg, June 22, 1944
The next long-term owner of the house was Dr. Brandur J. Brandson and family from 1915 to 1936.
Brandson was born in Iceland in 1874 and came to Minnesota with his family at the age of four. After graduating college with an arts degree, he came to Winnipeg to attend medical college in 1896. After graduation, he practised back in Minnesota for a time until 1902 when he went to Europe with Winnipeg colleague Dr. Olafur Bjornsson for post-graduate work that included stints at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin and Vienna.
In 1910, Brandson was appointed associate lecturer at the Manitoba Medical College and became a professor three years later. In 1927, he became the college's head lecturer in surgery and the head surgeon of the Winnipeg General Hospital. He retired in 1934, was made professor emeritus in surgery, and began a small private practice with his colleague, now neighbour, Dr. Bjornsson.
A colleague, Dr. Neil J. McLean, recounted in Stories of Icelanders in North America by Thorstina Walters:
"Dr. Brandson was a great man physically and mentally. I can see him
now, an imposing figure in the corridors and wards of the Winnipeg
general Hospital with his genial bow and gracious smile."
Árdís, Jan 1, 1954
Adalbjorg Benson was born in Iceland in 1878 and came to Winnipeg with her family in 1882. In her youth she was an accomplished musician, a love she is said to have inherited from her parents. She married Dr. Brandson in 1905 and they moved to 776 Victor Street in 1915 where they raised their four children.
Mrs. Brandson was dedicated to causes such as the Ladies Aid at First Lutheran Church, the Jon Sigurdson chapter of the I.O.D.E., and Betel Home, a home for the elderly in Gimli.
In a tribute written in a 1954 edition of Ardis, Margaret Stephensen wrote ".. she gave loyalty and
support to any cause she considered worthy.... She was a gracious woman
whose quiet dignity was felt by all who came in contact with her."
It was said that the Brandson residence was a household "where hospitality reigned" and that the couple worked together on many of their endeavours. For instance, Dr. Brandson was the founding chair of the board of the Betel Home in 1914 and served until his death in 1944. Adalbjorg took over the role and served until shortly before her death in 1954.
That year, 1944, was one of great loss for Mrs. Brandson. Her husband died on June 20, 1944, just weeks after learning that her son, Thomas Brandson, had been killed in the wartime sinking of the HMCS Athabascan on April 29, 1944.
Adalbjorg Brandson died in February 1954.
July 19, 1947, Winnipeg Tribune
The next family to call 776 Victor Street home were also noted for their great contribution to Manitoba's Icelandic community.
In August 1938, Rev. Valdimar Eylands and wife, Lilja, arrived from Seattle after he had been hired as pastor of First Lutheran Church. He would be just its third pastor in 38 years of existence.
Reverend Eylands was born and raised in Iceland and came to North America in 1922 at the age of 21 to continue his studies in theology. He attended the Lutheran seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and was ordained at Selkirk, Manitoba in 1925. His first postings as a teacher and preacher were in North Dakota where he married Thorunn Lilja Johnson in 1925.
silver teas for the Ladies Aid, even wedding and funeral receptions sometimes held at the house.
In 1947 the family did a year-long pastoral exchange with Rev. Erikur Brynjolfsson in Reykjavik, (their eldest daughter stayed behind to continue her studies at the U of M.) Eylands had not been to his homeland in nearly 25 years and marvelled at how it had changed with modern roads, the modern fishing fleet, the new international airport and hotel. The family was back in time for First Lutheran's 70th anniversary service in November 1948.
During the Eylands' residency, the house continued to be a social hub for the Icelandic community.
Nothing is written about the interior of the house, but it must have had a large reception hall as it was host to numerous fundraising teas and even some wedding and funeral ceremonies and receptions.
Reverend Eylands held other roles in the Icelandic community. He was a long-time executive member of the Icelandic Festival, served as president of Icelandic National League, wrote a book in 1945 called Lutherans in Canada, which is still quoted in research papers today. In 1953, he received a Doctor Of Divinity Honouris Causa from United College.
It is said that during his 30 year tenure at First Lutheran, Eylands presided over 1,410 baptisms, 1,066 funerals and 844 weddings.
The Eylands retired to North Dakota in in 1968. Lilia died in Grafton in 1977, he died in 1983
The home then belonged to the Toews family in the 1970s and 80s. It was sold in 2012 for $250,000 and appears to currently be a multi-family residence.
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