Tom Scott wants his name to live on
Tómas Jónsson, former schoolmaster on Thingeyri, manager of the local savings bank, and much else besides, is one of the descendants of the American halibut fishers from Gloucester, who camped at Þingeyri for a while at the end of the nineteenth century. His mother, Valgerður, was the daughter of Tom Scott, a prosperous captain of one of the majestic American schooners.
In 1925 Valgerður had her third child, which was Tómas. Before he was christened, Tom Scott appeared to Valgerður in a dream and asked her to name her new son after him. This she refused absolutely, since she had never met her father and he had made no effort to contact her at any time during his life. The following night she had the same dream. This time, Tom Scott even went so far as to pinch her in order to emphasise his request. But still she refused, as before. On the third night she has the same dream yet again, only this time Tom Scott is even more determined than before. She then senses that she says to him: “I will name him after you, but only on the condition that you promise me that he will always be in good health and quick and willing to learn.” Anyone who knows him is aware of the fact that Tómas has always enjoyed good health and he has always been a dedicated student.
(Source: Told by Oddur Jónsson, farmer at Gil, in an essay written by Edda Arnholtz from Mýrar entitled The American halibut fishers in the history of Dýrafjörður.)
Hallgrímur Sveinsson.
