Community activist.
Born in Iceland on 27 July 1878, daughter of John Thorsteinson and Konkordia Rosenkransdottir, she came to Canada with her father and stepmother in 1892. After a brief stay in Winnipeg, she moved to Lundar where she married Jonadab “Jon” LIndal (1873-1963) on 31 October 1895. They had a farm on SE10-20-5W and operated a general store from 1895 to 1914.
They had sixteen children, all of whom lived to adulthood: Olafur Jon “Oliver" Lindal (1896-1984), John Thorsteinn “Steini” Lindal (1898-1973), Asgeir “Geiri” Lindal (1899-1993), Daniel Lindal (1900-1963), Vilhjamer “William” Lindal (1902-1973), Laura Bertha Lindal (1903-1989, wife of T. C. Lodge), Helga L. Lindal (1905-2001, wife of Emile Charest), Franklin Lindal (1906-1963), George Kristjan Lindal (1908-1994), Elin Ingibjorg Lindal (1909-2010, wife of Earle G. McKitrick), Gudbjorg Emelia “Bertha” Lindal (1912-1989, wife of S. Tyndall), Emil “Duke” Lindal (1916-2000), Laufey Mae Lindal (1917-1985, wife of H. Thorgrimsson), Einar Haraldur Lindal (1921-2002), and Thora Lindal (?-?, wife of W. G. Halldorson).
Although she loved her children, she acknowledged that she would have had fewer if there were means of birth control available to her. In cooperation with nurse Sigridur Stefanson Hjalmarson, she quietly made birth control methods available to local women at a time this was strictly forbidden by community standards. She also served as President of the Lutheran Women's Association in Lundar and was active in the Lundar Women's Institute.
She died on 22 April 1948 and was buried in the Lundar Municipal Cemetery.
Birth registrations [Oliver Lindal, John Lindal, Asgeir Lindal], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registration [Soffia Lindal], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“John and Soffia Lindal” in Wagons to Wings: History of Lundar and Districts, 1872-1980 by Lundar and District Historical Society, 1980, pages 544-545.
Soffia Jonsdottir Thorsteinson Lindal, FindAGrave.
“Quiet courage in the Interlake: How two women in Lundar brought birth control to the prairies” by Katrin Nielsdottir, Logberg Heimskringla, 15 November 2025, page 8.
We thank Oliver Bernuetz (Legislative Library of Manitoba) for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 November 2025
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