Their faces have been preserved for more than a century, but their names have been lost to time. Blair Swanson is sorting through hundreds of photos of unidentified Icelandic immigrants—some dating back to the late 1800s. It’s all part of Icelandic Roots’ Unknown Photos Project. “I don’t think anybody should be forgotten ever,” Swanson said. “Right now, these people… they’re really ‘nobody.’ So, my hope is to turn them into ‘somebody’… just give them a life.” The photos have been sent to Icelandic Roots from families around Manitoba and the U.S. It’s then up to Swanson to find out who these people were. “Once you have their name, you expand and try to tell a story about that person,” he said. Swanson said a lot of his work actually happens on Facebook, where Iceland Roots will post a lot of these unknown photos in hopes someone might recognize them. “Everybody likes looking at old photographs, and some people take it as a challenge to try to determine who those people are,” he said. “Someone might just come out of the blue and say, ‘You know what? That’s my great-grandmother’s sister.’” Using those tips, Swanson then works to confirm the identity using obituaries and census records. Out of the 300 photos submitted so far, Swanson said more than 60 people have been identified. It’s satisfying work he said, especially when he is able to share what he’s found with the families. “Some people are overwhelmed,” he said. “You can just tell that, you know, they’re overjoyed at seeing something like that.” He said anyone with unknown photos can submit them to Icelandic Roots. “We encourage people to send them in,” he said. “Even if you have one that’s unidentified, send it in and we’ll see if we can help you out.”
